A TRIBUTE

A TRIBUTE TO PHIL AND DON EVERLY

Phil Everly of the popular Grammy-winning duo The Everly Brothers passed away Friday in Burbank at age 74.

The rock singer - who scored hits with All I Have To Do Is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie, and Bye Bye Love - died due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

'We are absolutely heartbroken,' his wife Patti Everly told the Los Angeles Times.

'We are absolutely heartbroken': Phil Everly of the popular Grammy-winning duo The Everly Brothers passed away Friday in Burbank at age 74 (seen here in 2011)

'He fought long and hard,' she noted, adding that Phil's death was the result of a lifetime cigarette habit.

Along with his 76-year-old brother Don, the Everly Brothers still hold the record for the most top 100 singles by any duo in history.

During the height of their success in the 1950s and 1960s, the country crooners charted nearly three dozen hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

'He fought long and hard': The rock singer and lifetime cigarette smoker - who scored hits with All I Have To Do Is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie, and Bye Bye Love - died due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The Cathy's Clown hitmakers - who began as a family act with their parents Ike & Margaret - were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

After an acrimonious split in the early 1970s, the Everly's reunited in 1983.

11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt covered the brothers' track When Will I Be Loved back in 1975.

Legendary duo: Along with his 76-year-old brother Don, the Everly Brothers still hold the record for the most top 100 singles by any duo in history

Singing in heaven: The country crooners' signature harmonies and steel-string guitars influenced the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Jack White, and Elliot Smith

'They had that sibling sound,' the 67-year-old told the newspaper.

'The information of your DNA is carried in your voice, and you can get a sound [with family] that you never get with someone who’s not blood related to you. And they were both such good singers - they were one of the foundations, one of the cornerstones of the new rock 'n' roll sound.'

Their signature harmonies and steel-string guitars also influenced the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Jack White, and Elliot Smith.

'They had that sibling sound': 11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt covered the brothers' track When Will I Be Loved back in 1975

Influential: Sir Paul McCartney mentioned 'Phil and Don' in his song Let 'Em In, and Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis named his six-year-old son Everly

Sir Paul McCartney mentioned 'Phil and Don' in his song Let 'Em In, and Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis named his six-year-old son Everly.

And last November, Norah Jones and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day released a tribute album to the band called Foreverly.

Aside from his brother/bandmate and wife, Phil is survived by his mother Margaret, sons Jason & Chris, and two granddaughters.