(NEXSTAR) – Bobby Whitlock, the songwriter and musician who co-founded Derek and the Dominos alongside Eric Clapton, died on Sunday at the age of 77.

Carole Kaye, Whitlock’s manager, said the rocker died “after a brief illness” at his home in Texas, according to a statement provided to outlets including Variety and ABC Audio.

“He passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family,” she said.

Whitlock, born in Memphis, Tennessee, began his career playing gigs in the city and recording for Stax Records. It was at Stax where he met singer/songwriters Delaney and Bonnie Bramlet, who asked him to move to Los Angeles and join their backing band to play keyboards, he recounted to the Austin Chronicle in 2006.

“When I got there, they had Carl Radle on bass, J.J. Cale on guitar, Leon Russell on

See Full Page