Rudolph Isley obit

Rudolph Isley, A Founding Member Of The Isley Brothers, Is Reportedly Dead At 84 

He was not on the list.

Rudolph Isley, a founding member of The Isley Brothers, is dead at 84 years old, TMZ reports. The publication says he passed away in Illinois on Wednesday, October 11. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Isley was born on April 1, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Alongside brothers O’Kelly “Kelly” Isley Jr. and Ronald Isley, he co-founded the musical trio The Isley Brothers in the late-1950s, with the group later expanding to include additional Isleys. The group reached its commercial peak in the ’70s and had its first No. 1 album with 1975’s The Heat Is On. The band is known for songs like “Twist And Shout” (which was famously later covered by The Beatles), “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You),” and “It’s Your Thing.”

Isley left the group in 1989 to become a Christian minister. In 1992, The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

Rudolph was in the news earlier this year when it was reported he had sued his brother Ronald over a trademark issue. Rudolph claimed Ronald improperly registered the “The Isley Brothers” trademark as a sole individual, which legally excluded Rudolph from equal ownership over the asset. Rudolph claimed he was “unaware of the degree to which Ronald exploited the Mark, the licenses and/or other transactions that Ronald entered into.”

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a young age. By his teen years, he was singing as member of The Isley Brothers with Kelly, Ronnie and Vernon. In 1957, following Vernon's death, the remaining three elder Isleys moved to New York to seek a recording deal, later recording for smaller labels until landing a deal with RCA Records in 1959 where they wrote, recorded and released their first significant recording, "Shout". By the summer of that year, the Isley family had moved from Cincinnati to a home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Following "Shout", the brothers recorded for other labels with modest success with exceptions including the top 40 hit, "Twist & Shout" and the Motown hit, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)". In the 1960s, Rudy and his brothers founded the T-Neck Records label to promote their recordings. Following their split with Motown, they reactivated the label and scored a Grammy-winning smash with "It's Your Thing" in 1969. While Ron Isley was the prominent lead singer of the group, Rudy did record a few lead vocals on some Isley Brothers songs, following the reactivation of T-Neck. After the group reorganized into a band after the inclusion of younger brothers Ernie and Marvin Isley and in-law Chris Jasper, Rudy was known for wearing hats and fur-attired clothing and was also known for carrying a cane. Rudy would share lead vocals with his brothers Ron and Kelly on hits such as "Fight the Power" and "Livin' in the Life". Rudy also sang full lead on other tunes such as "You Still Feel the Need" from the album, Harvest for the World, and their 1979 hit, "It's a Disco Night (Rock Don't Stop)". In 1986, Rudy's eldest brother Kelly suddenly died of a heart attack in his sleep. Kelly's death devastated Rudy as the brothers had been close. After recording the albums, Smooth Sailin' and Spend the Night, Rudy Isley left the group and the music industry for good in 1989 to follow a lifelong goal of being a Christian minister. Rudy was inducted as member of the Isleys to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.