Harold Reid, the bass singer of the legendary gospel and country band the Statler Brothers, has died at the age of 80.

A statement on the band's website says that Reid died after a lengthy battle with kidney failure. He passed away on Friday, April 24.

"He is and will always be loved by his family, friends and millions of fans," the statement says.

Despite the name of the band only Harold and Don Reid were actual brothers, and nobody in the band has the surname Satler. However, they often referred to each other as family.

Bandmate Jimmy Fortune says in an online post "Our hearts are broken tonight. My brother Harold Reid passed away at home with his family. Our prayers and our thoughts are with Brenda and his children and grandchildren and with my other brothers, Don and Phil. We made a lot of great memories together. I’ll miss you, brother, till I see you again."

Reid was also a well-known comedian and inserted comedy into the Statlers performances and television shows. "His singing, his songwriting and his comedy made generations happy. He has taken a piece of our hearts with him," the band says in their statement.

The Statlers formed in 1955 and spent many years opening up for Johnny Cash as well as providing backing vocals for Cash. They released over 40 albums over the course of their career and received numerous awards. They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

The group retired after a farewell tour in 2002.