Don Everly, the last surviving member of the legendary Everly Brothers, has died.
The music icon passed away at his home in Nashville on Saturday, according to multiple reports. He was 84. As of Sunday, a cause of death has not been made public.
Everly’s family confirmed his loss in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, honoring the personal and professional legacies the singer and guitarist leaves behind.
“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 statement read in part.
Everly and his younger brother, Phil, who died in 2014, were among the first inductees into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, joining fellow genre pioneers Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis Presley.
Lewis shared kind words about his late friend in a statement over the weekend, commemorating Don for what he contributed to such a pivotal time in American music.
“The Everly Brothers are integral to the fabric of American music. Very few of us can say we were around at the beginning, and even fewer can say we’re still here,” he said. “With my friend Don’s passing, I am reflective… reflective on a life full of wonderful friends, spectacular music and fond memories. There’s a lot I can say about Don, what he and Phil meant to me both as people and as musicians, but I am going to reflect today. God Bless Don Everly and long live Rock and Roll music.”
The Everly Brothers were known as pioneers of the genre and their use of harmony is said to have influenced performers including The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt and more. Between 1957 and 1962 they delivered a reported 15 Top 10 hits including their classic breakthrough single, “Bye Bye Love.”
Though the brothers famously broke up onstage during a 1972 concert and reportedly didn’t speak for a decade afterward, they reunited 10 years later and released a comeback album, “EB84.”
In addition to his wife, Adela, Everly is survived by his mother, Margaret; his son, Edan; and his daughters Venetia, Stacy and Erin.
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