Neville Brothers saxophonist Charles Neville dead at 79

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans-born saxophone player Charles Neville has died at age 79.

His career dated back to the 1950s and included gigs backing up B.B. King among others. But he was best known for three decades of performances with his siblings Aaron, Art and Cyril as the Neville Brothers band. It was formed in the 1970s and was famous for a distinctive blend of soul, funk and New Orleans rhythm and blues.

A publicist for Aaron Neville's management agency confirmed in an email that Charles Neville died Thursday. Aaron Neville, who first disclosed the news to WWL-TV, declined an interview but posted a lengthy tribute to his brother on Facebook.

Charles Neville had lived in Massachusetts in recent years. His family announced in January that he had pancreatic cancer.

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