Ronnie Wilson, 73, founding member of The Gap Band. dead on

“The love of my life was called home at 10:01 am today. Please continue to pray for the Wilson, Boulware and Collins family while we mourn their passing,” she wrote.

“Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboard, and vocal music from childhood through his early seventies. He will be truly missed!!!”

According to the band’s website, Wilson formed The Gap Band with his brothers Charlie and Robert in the late 1960s.

The group was originally called The . was named greenwood Archer Pine Street Band following three streets in a black area of ​​his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was targeted by a white mob during the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

They later changed the name to The Gap Band and finally The Gap Band.

The group rose to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, ushering in bands such as The Rolling Stones.

His best-known songs include “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “Party Train” and “Burn Rubber on Me.”

Another famous song, “Outstanding”, has been sampled by over 150 artists, according to the band’s website.