Rudolph Isley, the singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the chart-topping R&B group the Isley Brothers, has died at 84.

歌手和词曲作者鲁道夫·艾斯里去世，享年84岁。他最为人所知的身份是高居榜首的R&B组合艾斯里兄弟的创始成员。

A publicist for the group confirmed the news to EW on Thursday and provided a statement from Ronald Isley saying, "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."

该组合的一名公关人员周四向《娱乐周刊》证实了这一消息，并提供了罗纳德·艾斯里的一份声明:“没有任何语言可以表达我对我哥哥的感情和爱。我们全家都会想念他的。但我知道他在一个更好的地方。”

Rudolph Isley formed the iconic group with his siblings O'Kelly, Ronald, and Vernon as a young man. The fledgling group sang at their local church in a Cincinnati suburb and moved on to perform at churches throughout the region, even winning a competition on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour series. However, they disbanded in 1955 after Vernon, the lead vocalist, was hit by a car and killed at just 13.

鲁道夫·艾斯里年轻时与他的兄弟姐妹奥凯利、罗纳德和弗农组成了这个标志性的乐队。这支羽翼未久的乐队在辛辛那提郊区的当地教堂演唱，随后在整个地区的教堂演出，甚至赢得了泰德·麦克业余时间系列节目的比赛。然而，在主唱弗农13岁时被车撞身亡后，他们于1955年解散。

In 1957, the Isley Brothers reformed and moved to New York. By 1959, they had released their first single for RCA, "Shout." The song "was gospel designed as rock‐and‐roll, and a lot of people in my mother's church were not too pleased when it came out," younger brother and lead guitarist Ernie Isley told the New York Times in 1977.

1957年，艾斯里兄弟改过自新，搬到了纽约。1959年，他们为RCA发行了第一首单曲《呼喊》。1977年，他的弟弟兼首席吉他手厄尼·艾斯里在接受《纽约时报》采访时表示，这首歌“是福音风格的摇滚乐，我母亲所在教堂的很多人都不太喜欢这首歌。”

Into the 1960s, the group found success with more singles, such as their own twist on Bert Berns' "Twist and Shout" in 1962. It was their first top-40 hit. In 1966, they signed to Motown and had another hit with "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)." That would be their second top-40 hit.

进入20世纪60年代，乐队凭借更多单曲获得成功，比如1962年他们改编了伯特·伯恩斯(Bert Berns)的《twist and Shout》。这是他们第一首进入前40名的单曲。1966年，他们与摩城公司签约，并推出了另一首热门歌曲《This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)》。这将是他们第二次进入前40名。

The Isley Brothers continued to perform into the 1970s, bringing in other family members and relatives. More hits followed, like "That Lady," "Summer Breeze," and "Fight the Power." 

20世纪70年代，艾斯里兄弟继续演出，并带来了其他家庭成员和亲戚。更多的热门歌曲紧随其后，比如《That Lady》、《Summer Breeze》和《Fight the Power》。

The group went on making music, though Rudolph left the group in 1989 to become a Christian minister. He was, however, part of the group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. 

尽管鲁道夫在1989年离开了乐队，成为了一名基督教牧师，但乐队还是继续制作音乐。然而，他是1992年入选摇滚名人堂的一员。