Don Everly, the older sibling in the pioneering rock duo The Everly Brothers, died at his Nashville home on Saturday at age 84. The news of Everly’s passing was confirmed to the L.A. Times by a family spokesperson, who did not cite a cause of death.
“Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a statement from the spokesperson said. “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.”
Isaac Donald “Don” Everly was born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky on February 1, 1937. He teamed up with his younger brother Phil as The Everly Brothers and first scored a hit in 1957 with “Bye Bye Love.” The Everly Brothers would go on to achieve worldwide stardom in the years that followed thanks to the impact of such songs as “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “When Will I Be Loved” and “Wake Up Little Susie.”
Don and Phil stepped away from the fame to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1961 but returned to making music in 1963. While the band’s releases never again reached the commercial heights of their late-1950s heyday, The Everly Brothers continued to put out singles and albums through 1973. The pair parted ways at that point and embarked on solo careers before reuniting for a reunion concert in 1983 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The Everly Brothers recorded and performed together occasionally after the 1983 reunion concert. The duo was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 1986 and went into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. Phil Everly died of lung disease on January 3, 2014 at age 74. Don made a guest appearance with Paul Simon in 2018. Simon often cited The Everly Brothers as one of his biggest influences.
