Joe Bonsall, member of “The Oak Ridge Boys” country music group, dies at 76

Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys sings the national anthem before the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game between Purdue and Auburn Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Joe Bonsall, a longtime member of the legendary country music group “The Oak Ridge Boys,” has died from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 76.

ABC News reports that Bonsall, born Joseph S. Bonsall Jr., announced his retirement from The Oak Ridge Boys ongoing Farewell Tour in January due to increasing health issues and immobility.

“Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over 4 years now) of a neuromuscular disorder. I am now to a point that walking is impossible so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult,” Joe had shared in a statement on the social platform X.

The Oak Ridge Boys hold their awards for Top Vocal Group and Best Album of the Year, “Ya’ll Come Back Saloon,” presented to them by entertainer Charo, center, during the 14th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Show in Los Angeles, May 3, 1979. From left are: Richard Sterban, Joe Bonsall, Charo, Duane Allen and William Lee Golden. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)

Bonsall joined The Oak Ridge Boys in 1973, singing tenor. The group’s five-decade-plus career produced over 30 top-five country hits, nearly half of which were chart-toppers, including “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “Bobbie Sue,” “American Made,” and their signature song, 1981’s RIAA-certified double-platinum hit “Elvira.”

The group, also comprised of Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban, won five Grammy Awards.

William Lee Golden, from left, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen, and Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys arrive at the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

In a statement, his family said Bonsall was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame.

He was also the author of 11 books including his latest, a memoir entitled I See Myself, which will be released in November.

Bonsall is survived by his wife, two daughters, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.