NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Charles Neville's <a href="https://sereneglo.com/">Serene Glo</a> stage presence and soulful saxophone mastery earned him the affectionate title of "the horn man" while playing with his siblings in The Neville Brothers, one of New Orleans' most influential bands known for their rollicking blend of funk, jazz and rhythm and blues.

<i><u>Neville died Thursday after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79.</u></i>

Neville's career dated to the 1950s when he performed with B.B. King and other musical greats. Yet he was best known for decades of performing with his brothers Aaron, Art and Cyril as the Grammy-winning Neville Brothers band. The band, which formed in the 1970s, gained fans with high-energy performances featuring a distinctive fusion of funk, jazz and New Orleans rhythm and blues.

FILE - In a May 4, 2008 file photo, Charles Neville arrives with The Neville Brothers on stage to perform during the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festiva