Bobby Whitlock, the soulful keyboardist and singer who co-founded Derek and the Dominos alongside Eric Clapton, has died at the age of 77.

His death, which occurred early Sunday morning, was confirmed by his manager, Carol Kaye. In a statement to ABC Audio, Kaye said, “With profound sadness, the family of Bobby Whitlock announces his passing at 1:20 a.m. on Aug. 10 after a brief illness. He passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family.”

Born in Memphis in 1947, Whitlock’s path into music began at the legendary Stax Records, where he made history as the label’s first white artist. During his time there in the mid-Sixties, he worked with some of the era’s most influential soul musicians, including Booker T. & The M.G.’s and Sam & Dave, honing the deep, gospel-infused style that would become his signature.

By the late Sixties, Whitlock had joined Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, the husband-and-wife-led collective known for its ever-changing lineup of top-tier talent. That group included musicians who would go on to shape rock history, among them, Clapton, guitarist Duane Allman, bassist Carl Radle, and drummer Jim Gordon. Out of that circle, Derek and the Dominos was born in 1970.

Whitlock had already collaborated with Clapton on his self-titled 1970 solo album before the Dominos formed. When the band entered the studio to record Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Whitlock’s creative fingerprints were all over the project. He co-wrote half of the record’s tracks, including enduring classics like “Bell Bottom Blues,” “Anyday,” “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?” and the opening track “I Looked Away.”

He also played the piano part on the title song “Layla,” one of rock’s most iconic anthems. For years, Whitlock was outspoken about the credit for the song’s second, piano-driven section, publicly asserting that singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge, then dating Gordon, had a role in its creation. Instead, Gordon was officially credited alongside Clapton as the song’s co-writer.

Though Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is now celebrated as one of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” the record was initially a commercial disappointment. The group’s momentum was further derailed by Allman’s death in 1971 and Clapton’s spiraling drug addiction. Midway through sessions for their second album, Derek and the Dominos dissolved.

During that same London period, Whitlock was working on his own self-titled debut album. Released in 1972, it featured contributions from his Dominos bandmates as well as George Harrison. Whitlock’s ties to Harrison stretched back to All Things Must Pass, where he played organ and piano on tracks such as “My Sweet Lord,” “What Is Life,” the title song, and the extended Apple Jam sessions. He also appeared, without credit, on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St., later claiming to have co-written the haunting “I Just Want to See His Face” with guitarist Mick Taylor.

Whitlock followed his debut with Raw Velvet in 1972, which again featured both Clapton and Harrison. Two more solo albums would follow before he largely stepped away from the music business in the late Seventies.

By the early 2000s, Whitlock had re-emerged, recording and performing alongside his wife, musician CoCo Carmel. In 2000, he shared the stage with Clapton once more, delivering a memorable performance of “Bell Bottom Blues” on Later… with Jools Holland.

Bobby Whitlock’s career bridged Southern soul, British rock, and the improvisational freedom of the Seventies’ most celebrated sessions.