Richard Sterban, longtime Oak Ridge Boys bass singer, dies at 83

Richard Sterban, whose deep bass vocals helped make “Elvira” a crossover hit for the Oak Ridge Boys, died Saturday, Nov. 14, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He was 83.

His family and the group said he died from complications of bronchitis and pneumonia after a long illness with cancer.

Sterban sang backup for Elvis Presley before joining the country and gospel quartet in 1972. The group’s 1981 recording of “Elvira” reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sterban and his bandmates were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.