Bob Casale, guitarist and founding member of the innovative new wave group Devo, died yesterday of heart failure. He was 61 years old.

Casale co-founded Devo with his brother Gerald in Akron, Ohio in 1973. The brothers, who were spurred into starting a band after witnessing the Kent State massacre in 1970, began playing with high-concept ideas about the de-evolution of humanity and civilization–ideas that would help the band gain traction in the later half of the decade as punk rock rose to prominence. Bob was never the main focus of the group, preferring to cede the spotlight to his brother Gerald and singer Mark Mothersbaugh. However, Bob remained a constant presence within the group, performing on every one of their albums and touring with the band until very recently.

In a statement released to the press, Gerald Casale called his brother “my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.”

Bob Casale is survived by his, wife Lisa; his son, Alex; and his daughter, Samantha.