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John Geils, guitarist of the J. Geils Band, dies at 71

J. Geils of the J. Geils Band performs at Fenway Park in 2010.
J. Geils of the J. Geils Band performs at Fenway Park in 2010.John W. Ferguson/Getty Images

by Andrew Flanagan

April 12, 2017

John Geils Jr., who played guitar in the J. Geils Band, has died, according to the Groton (Mass.) Police Department. He was 71.

Geils is best known for the J. Geils Band's No. 1 hit, "Centerfold," which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1982 and 25 weeks on the chart cumulatively.

Geils released his first solo album, Jay Geils Plays Jazz!, well into his career, in 2005, drawing praise for its musicality from prolific music annalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

Geils sued his former bandmates in 2012 for touring under the J. Geils Band without him, which was dismissed with prejudice in 2014.

This is a developing story: We'll give updates on the situation as we learn more.

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