Frankie Beverly, who with his band Maze gave the world an anthem that will forever be tied to cookouts and good times, died on Tuesday, his family announced.

Frankie Beverly might have been born in Philadelphia, but he was as much an honorary New Orleanian as anyone could be. Why it matters: Beverly died Tuesday at 77, according to a family statement posted to his Instagram account.

A consistent hitmaker on the R&B charts for almost 50 years, he had announced just this year that he would be retiring.