RIP: Dickey Betts Of The Allman Brothers Band Dead At 80

According to consequence.net, Dickey Betts, co-founding member  of The Allman Brothers Band, has died at the age of 80. Betts’s manager told Rolling Stone that the musician passed away on Thursday, April 18 from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: “The legendary performer, songwriter, bandleader and family patriarch was at his home in Osprey, Florida, surrounded by his family,” they said in a statement. “Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt worldwide. At this difficult time, the family asks for prayers and respect for their privacy in the coming days. More information will be forthcoming at the appropriate time.”

Betts was a co founding member of The Allman Brothers band alongside brothers Duane and Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Jaimoe Johanson and Berry Oakley. When Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash in 1971, Betts took the role of the group’s lead guitarist and also took over more of the singing role. In addition to writing and singing lead on “Ramblin’ Man,” Betts composed beloved instrumentals including “Jessica” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”

The Allman Brothers Band first disbanded due to inner turmoil in 1976. The band reformed for a brief four year run in 1978, before permanently getting back together in 1989. Betts was fired from the band in the late 1990s. Though Betts’s dismissal was initially described as only temporary, the musician filed suit against his former bandmates, which lead to his permanent separation.

Regrading Betts’s passing, The Allman Brothers have released the following the statement: “With deep sadness the Allman Brothers Band learned today that founding member Dickey Betts has passed away peacefully in his home in Sarasota, Florida, following a period of declining health. Dickey wrote quintessential Brothers songs including “Blue Sky,” “Rambling Man,” “Jessica,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and many others. His extraordinary guitar playing alongside guitarist Duane Allman created a unique dual guitar signature sound that became the signature sound of the genre known as Southern Rock.”