Rudolph Isley, Founding Member of The Isley Brothers, Dead at 84

"There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother," his brother and bandmate Ronald tells PEOPLE

Rudolph Isley, a founding member of The Isley Brothers, has died. He was 84.

The singer "died peacefully in his sleep" on Wednesday morning in Illinois, his daughter Elaine confirms to PEOPLE in a statement.

"He died at his home with his devoted wife Elaine by his side. They had been married for 68 years," said his daughter. "Rudolph was a deeply religious man who loved Jesus."

Rudolph's brother and bandmate Ronald tells PEOPLE in a statement, "There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he's in a better place."

TMZ was first to report the news. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Related: Rudolph Isley Sues Brother Ronald Isley Over Rights to 'The Isley Brothers' Trademark

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Rudolph grew up singing in church and became a member of The Isley Brothers with his siblings O'Kelly, Ronald and Vernon in his teens. After Vernon died in 1955 in a car accident, the band relocated to New York City where they sought out a record deal. Just a year before the family band would sign with RCA Records and land their breakout hit "Shout," Rudolph married Elaine Jasper.

Over the course of their career, the group, known for their soul and doo-wop sound, produced hits like "Twist and Shout" (which The Beatles covered), "This Old Heart of Mine" and "It's Your Thing." In 1964, The Isley Brothers formed their own record company, T-Neck Records, and even recruited Jimi Hendrix to play guitar for their band for a brief period. But one year later, they ended up signing with Motown.

By 1973, The Isley Brothers expanded to include their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper.

In 1989, Rudolph departed The Isley Brothers to carry out his goal of being a Christian minister and because of poor health and the death of his brother and bandmate O'Kelly, according to a complaint filed in March, but reunited with the band throughout their tenure. Three years later, the Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rudolph made headlines in early 2023 when he filed a lawsuit against his brother and former bandmate Ronald, claiming that Ronald went behind his back and registered The Isley Brothers trademark on his own, when it is actually "jointly owned" by them both.

In documents filed in March in Illinois federal court and obtained by PEOPLE, Rudolph said he, Ronald and O'Kelly — the band's founding members — ran the group "as a common-law partnership," sharing all expenses, profits and control of the business.

According to the complaint, following O'Kelly's death in 1986, his interests were passed equally to Rudolph and Ronald, 82, with each receiving a 50% share of ownership in the group and in the Isley Brothers trademark. Over the years, the split was maintained by both parties.

But Rudolph claimed that in November 2021, Ronald filed to register exclusive rights on the trademark in his own personal name "for visual recordings and audiovisual recordings featuring music" without telling Rudolph, and had his application approved and registered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2022.

Related: Ronald Isley Says Tina Knowles Cried Upon Hearing Beyoncé and the Isley Brothers' New Duet

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Rudolph wanted transparency on all of the transactions made and revenues earned "through Ronald's improper registration," and was seeking his "rightful 50% share of all results and proceeds" since his brother registered the trademark.

Although Rudolph left the group in the '80s, he has remained active in promoting and managing the group's properties, according to the complaint, including a multi-million dollar music publishing deal in 2018 and, more recently, negotiation of a licensing deal that saw "Shout" used in a 2023 Super Bowl commercial.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.