Phil Everly died in the Californian city of Burbank late on Friday (03.01.2014) of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife Patti told the Los Angeles Times.

"We are absolutely heartbroken," she said. "He fought long and hard."

The Everly Brothers were one of the biggest rock and country acts of the 1950s and early 1960s, producing such hits as "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye Love," and "All I have to Do Is Dream."

The brothers famously broke up the duo in 1973 during a concert in California, but reunited for a gig at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1983 after a decade of solo projects.

Their perfectly intoned close-harmony singing strongly influenced other 1960s groups. Simon and Garfunkel, who recorded "Bye Bye Love" on the 1970 hit album "Bridge over Troubled Water," were particularly inspired by their style. Art Garfunkel once told Rolling Stone magazine they had taught him that "every syllable can shine."

tj/bk (Reuters, AFP)