John Geils Jr, the founder of The J Geils Band, whose hits included Centerfold and Freeze Frame, has died in his Massachusetts home. He was 71.
Police in Groton confirmed Geils’s death on Tuesday night, saying it did not appear to be suspicious.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that Geils died of natural causes,” police said in a statement.
The J Geils Band was founded in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts, while Geils, whose full name was John Warren Geils Jr, was studying at Worcester polytechnic institute. The band, whose music bridged the gap between disco and new wave, released 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985. They reunited off and on over the years.
The band had several US top 40 singles in the early 1970s, including a cover song Lookin’ for a Love by the family group The Valentinos and Give It To Me.
The band’s first big hit, Love Stinks, a rant against unrequited love, was the title song on their 1980 album of the same name.
But they are best known for Centerfold, from the 1981 album Freeze Frame. The single was number one in the US for six week and also reached the top of the charts in Australia and Canada. It got to number three in the UK.