Phil Everly has died at the age of 74. The younger brother of the Everly Brothers duo passed away in Burbank, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 3.
His wife, Patti Everly, told the Los Angeles Times that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had been a life-long cigarette smoker. "We are absolutely heartbroken," she said of the passing. "He fought long and hard."
"When you talk about harmony singing in the popular music of the postwar period, the first place you start is the Everly Brothers," Robert Santelli, executive director of the Grammy Museum in L.A. stated. "They showed the Beach Boys and the Beatles how to sing harmony and incorporate that into a pop music form that was irresistible."
Phil and Don Everly, 76, were one of the first performers to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Amid the height of their popularity in the late 1950s, they created hit songs like "Bye Bye Love," "When Will I Be Loved" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream."
Everly is survived by his wife, brother Don, mother Margaret, sons Jason and Chris, and his two granddaughters.
