BB Dickerson, the bassist who co-founded the funk band War, has died. A representative confirmed to Billboard that Dickerson died at his home in Long Beach, California. He was 71 years old.

Dickerson was an original member of War and helped define many of their greatest songs as a bassist, vocalist, and co-writer. He was the vocalist behind the band’s 10-minute opus “The World Is a Ghetto”, and his bass line was the driving force behind “Low Rider”. He was also a performer and co-writer on The Cisco Kid, Why Can’t We Be Friends, Summer, and more. He was a member of the band until 1979 and in the 90s he joined his war band colleagues to perform as a lowrider band.