Charles Neville, New Orleans music icon and saxophonist for the Neville Brothers, died today at the age of 79. WWL-TV reports that Neville, who had been battling pancreatic cancer for some time, passed away at his home in Massachusetts.

Neville was born and raised in New Orleans, where he began performing with bands as a teenager in the 1950s. After backing legendary artists like B.B. King, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles, and Bobby “Blue” Bland, he enlisted in the Navy with his older brother Art. Neville was stationed in Memphis, where he regularly performed on the city’s famed Beale Street.

Neville returned to New Orleans after two years in the service, but was eventually incarcerated in Louisiana’s notorious Angola State Penitentiary for three-and-a-half years after he was arrested with two marijuana joints. While at Angola, he passed the time by playing with other jailed New Orleans icons like pianist James Booker.

Following his release, Neville moved to New York City to escape racism of the South. There he continued his musical career backing R&B and soul icons like Johnny Taylor, Clarence Carter, and O.V. Wright. Eventually, Neville’s uncle, Big Chief Jolly of the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indian tribe, convinced him to return to New Orleans, where he teamed up with his brothers Art, Aaron and Cyril to help their uncle record an album. Released in 1976, the Wild Tchoupitoulas album quickly became a New Orleans favorite and convinced the four brothers to perform together as a unit.

The Neville Brothers went on to release 10 studio albums between 1978 and 2004, earning them a reputation as one of New Orleans’ most respected—and most popular—acts. The group performed all over over the world over the course of their nearly 35+ years career, and their annual closing set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was a fest tradition for many years. The group officially disbanded in 2012 (though Charles continued to perform with his Aaron’s solo band), but the four brothers reunited with a array of guests for a farewell show at the Saenger Theatre in 2015.