The co-founder of the rock legends "Allman Brothers Band" and band guitarist Dickie Betts died Thursday at age 80, the Associated Press reported.
Betts died at his home in Osprey, Florida, his manager David Spero said. He had been battling cancer for over a year and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“He was surrounded by his whole family and died peacefully, without visible pain to his relatives” he said.
Betts was the lead guitarist in the band along with Duane Allman in the original lineup of the Allman Brothers Band and is credited with building the band's unique sound and creating a new genre - southern rock. The band blended blues, country, R&B and jazz with 60s rock to produce a distinct style that influenced numerous major acts including Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Phish, Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton, among many others .
Formed in 1969, the "Allman Brothers Band" trampled the traditional formula of three-minute pop songs by performing long compositions in concert and in the studio. The band was also notable as a biracial group from the Deep South.
Dwayne Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, and Barry Oakley the following year. This left Betts and Allman's younger brother, Greg, as the group's leaders, but they often clashed, and substance abuse caused further discord. The group broke up at least twice and has more than a dozen line-ups.
The Allman Brothers was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Betts left the band for good in 2000. He also performed solo and with his own band Great Southern, which included his son, guitarist Dwayne Betts.