NEW YORK — Jim Seals, who rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, died Monday, multiple news outlets are reporting. He was 80 years old.
According to The Associated Press and Variety, Seals’ cousin Brady Seals, formerly of the band Little Texas, and John Ford Coley, who had been part of a duo with Seals’ brother, Dan “England Dan” Seals, were among those who took to social media to share the news.
“I just learned that James ‘Jimmy’ Seals has passed,” Brady Seals wrote in an Instagram post late Monday. “My heart just breaks for his wife, Ruby, and their children. Please keep them in your prayers. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind.”
“He belonged to a group that was one of a kind,” Coley wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “I am very sad over this but I have some of the best memories of all of us together. Rest In Peace Jimmy.”
After forming Seals and Crofts in the late 1960s, Seals and bandmate Darrell George “Dash” Crofts landed three top 10 songs, including “Summer Breeze” (1972), “Diamond Girl” (1973) and “Get Closer” (1976). The duo split in 1980 but reunited twice, the AP reported.
It was not immediately clear how Seals died, according to Variety.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.