Don Everly, star of the rock and roll country duo The Everly Brothers, died Saturday. He was 84.
Everly died at home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, his attorney and family spokesperson Linda Edell Howard told the Associated Press.
“Don lived by what he felt in his heart. Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother,” the family said in a statement.
Everly was born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in 1937 to a coal mining father and a mother who loved to sing. Everly and his brother Phil began making music with their parents, originally singing as the Everly Family.
In the 1950s, the two brothers began making music on their own and moved to Nashville. Their first hit, “Bye Bye Love,” reached number one on the country charts and sold more than a million copies.
From there, the brothers career soared, touring with Buddy Holly in the 1950s and signing with Warner Brothers in 1960. Soon, their songs “Cathy’s Clown,” “When Will I Be Loved” and “Cryin’ in the Rain” became major hits and they solidified their spot in the rock and roll world.
The two went solo in the 1970s, where Don Everly saw slight success, and the pair repeatedly broke up and then got back together. The brothers were among the first class inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“As a singer, a songwriter and a guitar innovator, Don Everly was one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history,” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, told the AP in a statement.
After his brother Phil’s death in 2014, Don Everly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, saying he was held back previously by Phil’s opposing political beliefs.
Everly is survived by his mother, his wife, his son, and his daughters, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The Associated Press contributed.