Rickie Lee Reynolds, the founding member and guitarist for Southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas, has died at the age of 72.
The musician's daughter, Amber Lee, confirmed on Facebook that he died Sunday after going into cardiac arrest.
"Unfortunately, this morning he suffered another cardiac arrest, which they were unable to resuscitate him from. We are all heartbroken by this massive loss, and the whole world feels colder and more empty without his presence among us," she wrote. "Please take a moment of silence today to remember all of the love he gave to the world, and take some time to give back some of those wonderful feelings that he gave us all in our times of need. Share his greatness with another today, and help make the world a better place, just as he did. Let's shine his light upon all around us. Look at something beautiful today and truly appreciate it deeply in your soul."
In an earlier Facebook post, Amber revealed that her father had been hospitalized with COVID-19. Doctors then discovered he had been suffering from kidney failure. He went into cardiac arrest and was unconscious at the time that Amber initially shared the news. Hours later he died.
Reynolds founded the band in 1963 with guitarists Stanley Knight and Harvey Jett, bassist Pat Daugherty, drummer Wayne Evans, and vocalist Ronnie Smith, who was later replaced by James "Jim Dandy" Mangrum after he became their stage production manager, according to Fox News.
Originally known as The Knowbody Else, the band changed its name to Black Oak Arkansas after signing with Atco Records in 1970. Reynolds left six years later but rejoined the group in 1984.
Black Oak Arkansas, which appealed to a wide audience including the biker community, went on to release three gold-certified albums and achieve commercial success with singles including "Up," "Gigolo," and "When Electricity Came To Arkansas."
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Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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