Ronnie Wilson, founding member of The Gap Band, dead at 73

(CNN)Ronnie Wilson, founding subordinate of R&B radical The Gap Band, has died astatine the property of 73.

His passing was confirmed by his wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, successful a Facebook post published Tuesday.

"The emotion of my beingness was called location this morning, astatine 10:01am. Please proceed to commune for The Wilson, Boulware, and Collins family, portion we mourn his passing," she wrote.

"Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing the flugelhorn, Trumpet, keyboards, and singing music, from puerility to his aboriginal seventies. He volition beryllium genuinely missed!!!"

Wilson formed The Gap Band successful the precocious 1960s on with his brothers Charlie and Robert, according to the band's website.

The radical was primitively named The Greenwood Archer Pine Street Band, aft 3 streets successful a Black country of their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was targeted by a White mob during the 1921 Tulsa contention massacre.

They aboriginal abbreviated the sanction to The G.A.P. Band and yet The Gap Band.

The radical roseate to fame successful the precocious 1970s and aboriginal 1980s, opening for bands specified arsenic The Rolling Stones.

Their best-known songs see "You Dropped a Bomb connected Me," "Party Train" and "Burn Rubber connected Me."

Another celebrated song, "Outstanding," has been sampled by much than 150 artists, according to the band's website.