They were the first group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, joining the likes of Elvis, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
Don Everly, the last surviving member of the Everly Brothers, passed away Saturday at his home in Nashville, reports The LA Times. He was 84. No cause of death was released.
His younger brother Phil Everly died in 2014.
The pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll were known for their soaring harmonies and had 15 top 10 hits between 1957 and 1962, including ‘Bye Bye Love’, ‘All I Have to Do Is Dream’ and ‘Wake up Little Susie’.
“Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a statement from the family said. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … living in love with his soul mate and wife Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother. Don always expressed how grateful he was for his fans.”
Don Everly was born Feb. 1, 1937, in Brownie, Kentucky, to Ike and Margaret Everly, who were folk and country music singers. Phil Everly came along a couple of years later when the couple moved to Chicago.
The brothers began singing country music in 1945 on their family’s radio show in Shenandoah, Iowa.They were known for their firefly breakups but got back together a number of times to tour and release new music.
Don Everly said in a 1986 Associated Press interview that he and his brother were successful because “we never followed trends. We did what we liked and followed our instincts. Rock ‘n’ roll did survive, and we were right about that. Country did survive, and we were right about that. You can mix the two, but people said we couldn’t.”
In 2019, Don was voted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.read more