Gordy Harmon, the founding member of the beloved R&B group The Whispers, has passed away at age 79.

According to Billboard, Harmon died in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on Jan. 12. His family believes he died of natural causes and had no serious illnesses.

The famed jazz and soul musician founded The Whispers in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where several members lived in the Jordan Downs housing project. He had done so with twin brothers Wallace and Walter Scott, Nicholas Caldwell and Walter Scott, in 1964. The group’s name reportedly came from the owner of a small record label in Hollywood, who suggested it as a reflection of their soft singing style.

The Whispers reportedly reached the peak of their fame with the hits “And the Beat Goes On” and “Rock Steady,” which both hit No. 1 on the R&B charts. However, he left the group after suffering a larynx injury in 1973, group members said in a 2017 interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel about the band’s inception. He suffered thedamagey afteran impairedd driving accident.

“I think the success that we’ve had is really attuned to being humble, never taking ourselves for granted or acting like we were bigger than we really were,” Walter told the Sentinel years before his bandmate passed.

During Harmon’s time with the group, The Whispers exploded in the R&B world with albums like Life and Breath (1972) as well as The Whispers’ Love Story (1972). The latter made its way to No. 34 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was featured on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charting singles “Can’t Help But Love You” (No. 35). Other songs included “I Only Meant to Wet My Feet” (No. 27), “Your Love Is So Doggone Good” (No. 19) and “There’s a Love for Everyone” (No. 31).

When he departed the band, he was replaced by Leaveil Degree.