Isley Brothers Ronald, Ernie and Rudolph during 4th Annual BET Awards - Arrivals at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
Rudolph Isley of the iconic Isley Brothers group has passed away. The singer died at age 84 in Illinois on Wednesday (Oct. 11). TMZ broke the story, and Rolling Stone acquired a statement from brother and bandmate Ronald Isley confirming the news.
“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,” Ronald said.
The family has not disclosed the circumstances under which Rudolph Isley passed away. There are no additional updates surrounding his death at this time.
If you’re not privy to Rudolph’s legacy, the late singer formed one-third of the Isley Brothers, along with siblings Ronald and O’Kelly. The brothers started in the group in 1954 as a four-person sound, but their brother and additional member, Vernon, died in 1955 after a car struck him while bicycling. He was 13 years old.
Though the teenage band crumbled temporarily after the accident, they later reentered the music scene as a trio. This time, Ronald led the band’s vocals while Rudolph and O’Kelly added to the magic with background vocals. Their debut track, “Shout,” is still widely known as an Isley Brothers classic.
In 1958, Rudolph Isley tied the knot with Elaine Jasper — and reportedly leaned more into married life than band life. When he split from his wife in 1971, the Isley Brothers had grown from a trio to include more family talent. His younger brothers, Ernie and Marvin, joined the group along with Rudolph’s brother-in-law, Chris Jasper.
Rudolph again took a step back from music in 1989 to pursue a career as a Christian minister. Still, his newfound interest didn’t stop him from occasionally lending vocals to the group.
Despite Ronald often being the lead, Rudolph also belted on the front lines. Not only that, Rudolph Isley flexed his pen game for the group in hits like “That Lady,” “Nobody But Me,” and “Testify.”
Unfortunately, in the last few months, Rudolph and brother Ronald had been involved in a legal feud over rights to the band’s name. Earlier this year, TMZ cited a lawsuit brought forth by Rudolph, accusing Ronnie of trademarking their name and retaining all the profits.
The late singer argued that they both had 50% ownership rights to the group’s name after O’Kelly passing in 1986. His lawsuit requested an accounting of Ronnie’s finances, beginning when the US Patent and Trademark Office approved the trademark in August 2022. Rudolph sought to acquire 50% of any relevant earnings. Secondly, he requested to be named as part-trademark owner.
In August, Billboard reported that Judge Thomas M. Durkin declined to dismiss the lawsuit, instead escalating it to a court trial. It’s unclear where Ronald stands on the lawsuit’s requests now that his brother has passed away.
The Shade Room extends its deepest condolences to the Isley family during this time.
