Rudolph Isley of Cincinnati R&B Group The Isley Brothers Dies at 84

Rudolph Isley (far left) has died at the age of 84. Photo: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

One of Cincinnati’s most beloved musicians has passed away.

According to reports, the founding member of famed Cincinnati R&B group The Isley Brothers, Rudolph Isley, is dead at 84 years old.

TMZ was the first to report the news that Rudolph had died at his home in Illinois on Wednesday, Oct. 11. His cause of death is still unknown.

“There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he’s in a better place,” Rudolph’s brother, Ronald Isley, told Rolling Stone in a statement.

Cincinnati-born brothers O’Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald and Veron Isley first formed the band as a teenage gospel quartet in the mid-’50s but quit performing after Vernon, 13 at the time, was hit and killed by a car while riding his bike. But in 1957, the three remaining brothers moved to New York City at the encouragement of their parents and hit it big as a rock and roll group, with their 1959 single and album “Shout!” becoming a massive success.

The Isley Brothers found success in rock and roll throughout the ‘60s and worked with and influenced some of music’s biggest names, like Jimi Hendrix, who toured with the Isley Brothers as a backing guitarist, and The Beatles (Paul McCartney once said, “If it were not for the Isley Brothers, the Beatles would still be in Liverpool.”). The group worked with Berry Gordy of Motown Records on two albums before forming their own label, T-Neck Records, and releasing their music independently, redefining the R&B genre forever.

In 1973, the younger Isley brothers Ernie and Marvin joined the band, along with brother-in-law Chris Jasper, contributing to some of the group’s biggest hits, including “That Lady,” “Fight the Power” (which was later used in Public Enemy’s song of the same name) and “Summer Breeze.” Never afraid of adapting with the times, the band covered the spectrum of R&B music, incorporating disco in the late ‘70s and the slow jams of the ‘90s, as well as soul and funk.

The Isley Brothers have won several Grammys throughout their six-decade-long career, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2014. They were also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. And today, you can still see Ron and Ernie Isley on tour. In 2022, the brothers released the album Make Me Say it Again, Girl with collaborations from Beyoncé, Earth, Wind & Fire, El DeBarge and Snoop Dogg. And in Pendleton, you can visit the mural dedicated to the Cincinnati natives, inscribed with their lyrics “It’s Your Thing, Do What You Want to Do.”

Rudolph left the music industry in 1989 to pursue his dream of being a Christian minister.

The Isley Brothers were among the first musical acts to be inducted into the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.