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US musician John Geils Jr, founder of The J Geils Band, has died at the age of 71.
The guitarist, whose group was best known for their 1982 hit 'Centrefold', was pronounced dead at his home in Groton, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.
Police had been called to the property to check on his welfare and found him unresponsive.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that Geils died of natural causes,” Groton police said in a statement.
Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J Geils Band, wrote on Facebook: “Thinking of all the times we kicked it high and rocked down the house! R.I.P. Jay Geils.”
Centrefold topped the US charts for six weeks in 1982, and peaked at number three in the UK.
They scored another UK top 40 hit that year with 'Freeze Frame'.
The band was founded in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts, while Geils was studying at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
They released 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985, and reunited for performances in recent years.
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In the US, their biggest hits included 'Must Of Got Lost', which reached number 12 on Billboard's Top 100 in 1975, and 'Love Stinks', the title song on their 1980 album.
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