R.I.P. Ronnie Wilson, Co-Founder of The Gap Band Dead at 73.

R.I.P. Ronnie Wilson, Co-Founder of The Gap Band Dead at 73.

Ronnie Wilson dead: Heartbroken wife speaks out as The Gap Band co-founder dies aged 73.

Ronnie Wilson, co-founder popular funk group The Gap Band, has died according to his wife Linda Boulware-Wilson. He was 73 years old.

Linda penned on social media: "The love of my life was called home this morning, at 10:01am.

"Please continue to pray for The Wilson, Boulware, and Collins family, while we mourn his passing.

"Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing the flugelhorn, Trumpet, keyboards, and singing music, from childhood to his early seventies."

She concluded: "He will be truly missed!!!"

Linda continued to tell TMZ that she held her husband's hand throughout his final moments.

He had apparently suffered several strokes in recent years, with the final one striking last week that he never recovered from.

Wilson was one of three brothers who co-founded the influential band, whose music continues to inspire artists, particularly rap and hip-hop musicians, to this day.

Wilson was one of three brothers who co-founded the influential band, whose music continues to inspire artists, particularly rap and hip-hop musicians, to this day.

He co-wrote some of their hits, whereas Charlie, 68, was lead singer, and Robbie - who died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 53 - played bass guitar.

Ronnie performed as a multi-instrumentalist and backup singer, but his biggest contribution on record was as a keyboardist.

Putting his hefty musical talent to good use, he also played a variety of synthesisers and keyboards in addition to piano.

In addition to that, be was also a trained horn player who helped spice up the group's multiple albums with his trumpet and flugelhorn - a larger, lower-pitched trumpet.

The group formed the early 1970s, and they went on to have a collection of successful albums that saw them reach number 10 on Billboard's Top Soul Albums chart by the end of the decade.

The name The Gap, is an acronym for three streets — Greenwood, Archer and Pine — where the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 took place.

Their first album was 1974's Magicians Holiday, which featured an earlier style of funk music that was more sprightly and less dependent on deep bass.

They moved into new territory by adopting more of a groove, inspired by the twin bands Parliament and Funkadelic.

The boys released the popular The Gap Band II in 1979, which reached number three on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart and 42 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Going form success to success, the following year album The Gap Band III became an even bigger hit, which featured the hit ballad Yearning For Your Love and the popular funk track Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me).

The band disbanded in the early 1990s, after Charlie struck out on a solo career.

Following news of his death, fans rushed to social media to send their condolences to his family and remember Ronnie for his service to music.