Rudolph Isley, a founding member of The Isley Brothers, is dead at 84 years old. Brian D. Caplan, an attorney for Isley, confirmed the news to Pitchfork and shared a statement from Isley’s daughter: “Rudolph Isley, a founding member of the world famous Isley Brothers, died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of October 11, 2023. He died at his home, with his devoted wife Elaine by his side. They had been married for 68 years. Rudolph was a deeply religious man who loved Jesus.”
Isley was born on April 1, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Alongside brothers O’Kelly “Kelly” Isley Jr. and Ronald Isley, he co-founded the musical trio The Isley Brothers in the late-1950s, with the group later expanding to include additional Isleys. The group reached its commercial peak in the ’70s and had its first No. 1 album with 1975’s The Heat Is On. The band is known for songs like “Twist And Shout” (which was famously later covered by The Beatles), “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You),” and “It’s Your Thing.”
Isley left the group in 1989 to become a Christian minister. In 1992, The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Rudolph was in the news earlier this year when it was reported he had sued his brother Ronald over a trademark issue. Rudolph claimed Ronald improperly registered the “The Isley Brothers” trademark as a sole individual, which legally excluded Rudolph from equal ownership over the asset. Rudolph claimed he was “unaware of the degree to which Ronald exploited the Mark, the licenses and/or other transactions that Ronald entered into.”
