Musician Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers dies aged 74

Musical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber has tweeted his sadness at the death of Everly Brothers singer Phil Everly and paid tribute to his contribution to music.

Watch: Everly Brothers remembered for series of '50s and '60s hits

Tributes have been paid to Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. The 74-year-old died following complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the LA Times.

Everly, who took the high notes, and his brother Don, were one of the most influential acts of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Fellow performers have taken to Twitter to pay their respects to the musician.

Phil Everly "fought long and hard" against disease brought on through a lifetime of smoking, his wife Patti told the LA Times.

• Read: Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers dies aged 74

At the height of their popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Everly Brothers charted nearly three dozen hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Among the best were Cathy’s Clown, Wake Up Little Susie, Bye Bye Love, When Will I Be Loved and All I Have to Do Is Dream.

The Everly Brothers were among the first 10 performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it got off the ground in 1986.

Read: Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers dies aged 74

Phil Everly, whose high, close-harmony singing with his older brother, Don, made the Everly Brothers one of the biggest rock and country acts of the 1950s and early 1960s, died on Friday at the age of 74, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Everly died in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife Patti told the Times for a story on the paper's website. Representatives for Phil Everly could not immediately be reached by for comment on Friday evening.

The Everly Brothers profoundly influenced 1960s-era groups and singer-songwriters ranging from Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who early in their careers called themselves the Foreverly Brothers, to Simon and Garfunkel, the Byrds, the Hollies and the Beach Boys

Read: Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers dies aged 74

Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers has died aged 74 of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the LA Times.