Rudolph Isley, one of the three brothers of the successful American group The Isley Brothers, composers and performers of the hits Shout and This Old Heart Of Mine, has died at the age of 84, announced Ernie and Ronald Isley. “Heaven has gained a new angel. Our hearts are heavy as we announce the death of our beloved brother, Rudolph Isley,” his family wrote on the group’s social networks. If the press release does not specify the cause or the exact date of death, several American media reported that Rudolph Isley died in his sleep on Wednesday at his home in Chicago.
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The singer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1939 and founded the group The Isley Brothers with his brothers in the 1950s. Rudolph Isley began singing in churches with his brothers Ronald, O’Kelly and his younger son brother Vernon, who died as a teenager in a road accident.
A gospel group in its early days, The Isley Brothers became known with their rock and funk hits Shout! released in 1959, This Old Heart of Mine (1966) and It’s Your Thing (1969) which won a Grammy, a prestigious award in the American music industry. It is worth noting that the legendary Jimi Hendrix played for the Isley Brothers between 1964 and 1965. Among the group’s other hits were Twist and Shout, later covered by the Beatles, and This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) , covered by singer Rod Stewart.
The group was entered into the American pantheon of rock and popular music, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1992. Rudoph left the group in 1989 to become a pastor.
