Don Everly, one half of The Everly Brothers, has died. He was 84.
Everly’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Erin Everly, to The Washington Post, who did not disclose a cause of death but confirmed he died on August 21 in his home in Nashville.
The Everly Brothers, who mixed elements of country, rock and pop music, were one of the most influential duos in the ’50s and early ’60s with hits like “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “When Will I Be Loved” and many more.
Don and his younger brother Phil Everly, who died in 2014 at the age of 74 from lung disease, famously broke up in 1973 to pursue solo careers for a decade before reuniting in 1983 and would perform on-an-off together through the mid 2000’s.
The Washington Post notes, “The brothers’ personal relationship was less harmonious than their music. Their relentless performing over 30 years magnified their sibling rivalry and simmering resentments. They endured long periods when they sang together but wouldn’t talk to each other. When interviewers could get them in the same room, Mr. Everly, the more gregarious of the two, tended to dominate the conversation. They also fractured on politics, with Phil a conservative and Don a liberal.”
The Everly Brother received a number of major honors over the year including the lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 1997. The duo was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and were part of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
