PRESCOTT, Ariz. (CelebrityAccess) Daryl Dragon, 76, one-half of 70s duo The Captain & Tennille, died of renal failure in Prescott, Ariz., Jan. 2.
“He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly,” Toni Tennille said in a statement. “I was at my most creative in my life when I was with him.”
Tennille was at Dragon’s side when he passed, publicist Harlan Boll told CNN.
Dragon, a classically trained pianist, was a longtime backup musician for The Beach Boys in the mid-60s and met Tennille in 1971 when she hired him to play piano for a musical. The two married in 1975, signed to A&M Records, and released one of the biggest songs of the era, the Neil Sedaka-penned “Love Will Keep Us Together” with its signature electric keyboard instrumentation.
Dragon and Tennille divorced in 2014 but remained close friends. He is survived by his older brother, Doug Dragon, and two nieces.
