IN MEMORIAM: Ronnie Wilson, Co-Founder of The Gap Band, Dies at 73

By Paige Boyd, Managing Editor

The world of R&B/Soul Music has taken another massive hit with the passing of Gap Band co-founder Ronnie Wilson, at the age of 73.

His wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, confirmed to TMZ that he died peacefully on Tuesday morning (November 2) at his home in Tulsa, OK. He suffered a stroke last week, which left him semi-comatose, and never recovered. TMZ reports that Wilson suffered several strokes over the years.

Ronnie, along with brothers Robert and Charlie Wilson, founded The Gap Band in the early 1970s, with "Gap" being an acronym for Greenwood, Archer, and Pine, streets in their hometown of Tulsa. The name was an homage to "Black Wall Street," in remembrance of the tragic race massacre of 1921.

With their flawless blends of R&B, disco, and funk, The Gap Band would find the majority of their success in the late 70s through the 1980s, with hits like "Yearning For Your Love," "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)," "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Early In The Morning," and countless others. Their music would have a lasting legacy, as it has been sampled numerous times by Soul For Real, Blackstreet, 69 Boyz, George Michael, and more.

With the passing of Ronnie, Charlie Wilson is now the last surviving founder of The Gap Band. Robert Wilson passed in 2010 of a heart attack.