The news of Phil Everly's passing on Friday has made a huge impact on the lives of other musicians and those of fans. But perhaps the deepest connection, despite previous feuding and lack of communication, was with his brother Don Everly, and he has spoken out about Phil's death.
Phil and Don Everly were once the duo that other musicians and songwriters looked up to. The Everly Brothers created harmonies that were captivating, and they understood how to take a melody to the next level, but they parted ways in 1973. They later reunited officially in 1983, but the two weren't as close and apparently still seemed to deal with the root of their original disconnect.
As siblings sometimes are, in a special way, Don Everly said he felt connected to his brother before his death.
"I was listening to one of my favorite songs that Phil wrote and had an extreme emotional moment just before I got the news of his passing," Don Everly wrote in a statement to The Associated Press on Saturday morning. "I took that as a special spiritual message from Phil saying goodbye. Our love was and will always be deeper than any earthly differences we might have had."
The incredible impact The Everly Brothers made on the world is now even more apparent after Phil Everly's passing, with many tributes and kind words spread across social media. But luckily some artists embraced the artistry from the duo beforehand, as Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones did with their tribute album Foreverly.
Don Everly shared that he didn't expect to lose his brother this soon.
"I loved my brother very much," the 76-year-old wrote. "I always thought I'd be the one to go first. ... The world might be mourning an Everly Brother, but I'm mourning my brother Phil Everly."
