Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys dead at 83

Richard Sterban, the deep-voiced bass singer with The Oak Ridge Boys, has died aged 83. His distinctive refrain helped make “Elvira” a country and pop hit, and his career helped the group move from Southern gospel into mainstream country music.

Sterban died on 14 November in Hendersonville, Tennessee, from complications of bronchitis and pneumonia after a long battle with cancer, his family and the group said. He announced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2025 and briefly returned to perform “Elvira” at the Grand Ole Opry in January 2026. Before joining the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972, he toured and recorded with Elvis Presley; the group later entered the Grand Ole Opry in 2011 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.