One of the founding members of the R&B group the Isley Brothers has died at 84, his family said.
“There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother‚” Rudolph Isley’s brother, Ronald Isley, said in a statement to CNN. “Our family will miss him. But I know he’s in a better place.”
A representative for the Isley Brothers told CNN that Rudolph Isley died on Wednesday. Ernie Isley said that Rudolph Isley died in his sleep, according to The New York Times.
Rudolph Isley was born on April 1, 1939, and was the second of six children, the Times reported.
The Isley Brothers included siblings Rudolph Insley, Vernon Isley, Ronald Isley and O’Kelly Insley, according to Rolling Stone. The group was formed in 1954, when the Isleys were teenagers in Cincinnati.
Vernon Isley was killed in 1955 when his bike was hit by a car, and the group disbanded, Rolling Stone reported. They eventually reunited, with Ronald Isley on lead vocals and O’Kelly Isley and Rudolph Isley behind him.
The three surviving brothers got a contract with RCA Victor and their breakout hit single, “Shout,” came out in 1959, according to Rolling Stone. About three years later, their rendition of “Twist and Shout” came out.
Other hit songs include “That Lady,” “Nobody But Me” and “Testify,” according to Rolling Stone. “Testify” featured a young Jimi Hendrix, too.
Rudolph Isley retired from the group at the end of the 1980s, the Los Angeles Times reported. He went on to pursue a life in Christian ministry, but eventually reunited with the group in 1992, according to CNN. That year, the Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Many artists have covered or sampled the group’s songs, including the Beatles, Rod Stewart, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar and the Notorious B.I.G., the Times reported.
A cause of death has not been released.
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