Daryl Dragon, the Captain in The Captain & Tennille, died Wednesday of renal failure in Prescott, Ariz. He was 76.

Former wife Toni Tennille, who was with Dragon when he died, issued a statement that read, "He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly. I was at my most creative in my life when I was with him."

A keyboardist for The Beach Boys and a studio musician prior to forming The Captain & Tenille with his then girlfriend, the duo signed with A&M and promptly had a #1 hit with “Love With Keep Us Together” in 1975.

The duo was soft-rock royalty in the mid- and late-’70s with hits such as “The Way I Want to Touch You” and covers of “Shop Around” and “Muskrat Love.” They hosted a popular variety show on ABC in the ’76-77 TV season.

Neil Sedaka, who co-wrote several of this hits, among them “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Lonely Night (Angel Face),” tweeted “The Captain, a great musician, keyboard player and friend for over 40 years. He took “Love Will Keep Us Together”, made it his own with the magic of his playing and her incredible voice. My sympathy to his family and to @ToniTennille.”

The duo recorded four albums for A&M before moving to Casablanca where they hit #1 with “Do That to Me One More Time.”

He was a two-time Grammy winner, earning awards as artist and producer in the Record of the Year category for "Love Will Keep Us Together" at the 18th Grammy Awards.

Tennille developed a career as a pop standards and musical theater singer in the 1980s and ‘90s prior the two reuniting to tour and record. They moved to Nevada then Arizona where, in 2014, the couple divorced. Dragon developed a neurological condition that gave his tremors and prevented from being able to play the piano.

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