Rudolph Isley of The Isley Brothers Has Passed Away — Brother He Previously Sued Gave a Statement

• Legendary musician Rudolph Isley from the iconic group The Isley Brothers has tragically passed away.
• His family shared a statement confirming his death and how much the star is truly loved and missed.
• Reportedly, before he died, the singer sued one of his brothers.

In tragic and sudden news, one of the iconic founding members of the famous music group The Isley Brothers has passed away. Rudolph Isley died in Illinois, Chicago, on Wednesday, October 11, aged 84.

The potential causes of his death remain unclear at the moment. However, according to a statement made by his daughter, Rudolph passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Additionally, the statement mentioned that Rudolph passed away with his loving wife of 68 years, Elaine Jasper, by his side. The hitmaker's band also shared some words about his passing in an announcement posted to their social media account:

"...Our hearts are heavy as we announce the passing of our beloved brother, Rudolph Isley. As we navigate through this deep sorrow, we kindly ask for understanding and respect for our family's privacy during this challenging time...We will miss our brother, but we know he's in a better place..."

Known for classic hits, the music icon began singing when he was just a boy. He sang at his local church, and by the time he was a teen, he founded The Isley Brothers with his siblings Vernon, Ronald, and O'Kelly Isley.

Following a tragic accident involving Vernon being hit by a car while riding his bike at 13, the brothers moved to New York and began recording music. They went on to sign with RCA Records and debuted their first single, "Shout," which became one of their most popular tracks.

By the time 1989 rolled around, Rudolph made his exit from the group to pursue his dream of becoming a Christian minister. However, he would reunite with the group occasionally over the years. In recognition of their significant accomplishments, The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Their popularity only continued to increase as the years went by, with big names such as Ice Cube and Notorious B.I.G. sampling their songs on their tracks. The talented and hugely accomplished group has been generating hits for more than half a century.

Rudolph Isley Sued His Brother, Ronald Isley, Months before He Died

Months before the late member of the highly accomplished group passed away, Rudolph filed a lawsuit against his brother Ronald. His claim stipulated that Ronald had gone behind his back to trademark The Isley Brothers group by himself, even though both co-owned it.

The court documents cited that Ronald, Rudolph, and O'Kelly (the band's original founding members) shared profits, expenses, and group control equally among the three via a common-law partnership. However, following the death of O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald then split ownership of the group 50/50.

Despite this legally binding agreement, Rudolph claimed that Ronald filed their joint trademark in his name, giving him the exclusive rights to license the band for future musical endeavors. Ronald's filing was registered and approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last year, hence Rudolph's lawsuit.

Rudolph's suit ended up being countered by the fact that since the band has always had more than two members, the clause of the 50/50 split did not stand. Additionally, Ronald stated that he was only selling merch exclusively relating to himself and Ernie (another member who joined later on).

Nonetheless, sibling drama aside, all the remaining Isley brothers are devasted about their brother's passing and continue to mourn the significant loss of the legend.