Richard Sterban, the powerhouse bass vocalist of Grammy-winning gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys and a Country Music Hall of Famer, died on Saturday at age 83, his family and the band announced.
Sterban died in Hendersonville, Tennessee, due to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a long battle with cancer, according to statements from his family and the group reported by The Hollywood Reporter. He toured regularly with the vocal group until 2025, when his health deteriorated.
“We appreciate all of your love, support, and prayers. Please continue to lift us up in this difficult time, we find comfort knowing that he is currently face to face with Jesus,” Sterban’s family said in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Born on April 24, 1943, in Camden, New Jersey, Sterban began singing as a soprano in Sunday school at age 6, dropping to bass by the eighth grade. Before joining the Oak Ridge Boys in 1972 following the departure of Noel Fox, Sterban sang as a backup vocalist for Elvis Presley as part of J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, appearing in the 1972 concert film Elvis on Tour, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Sterban possessed an extraordinary vocal range capable of hitting notes so low they could be felt rather than heard, anchoring the group’s gospel-steeped sound. His resonant basso profundo carried the melodic lead on the 1979 remake of the Righteous Brothers pop hit “Dream On” and drove the group’s 1981 crossover smash “Elvira,” The New York Times reported.
“It absolutely carried us to another stratosphere,” Sterban explained in his 2012 memoir, From Elvis to Elvira: My Life on Stage, written with Steven Robinson. “The song, especially the lines I sang, was seemingly on everyone’s lips. It was unbelievable.”
The Oak Ridge Boys won five Grammy awards, received 23 nominations, and secured 17 No. 1 country hits during a golden period that included 1982’s “Bobbie Sue” and 1983’s “American Made.” The group also performed for U.S. presidents, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, and toured alongside Johnny Cash.
Country Music Hall CEO Kyle Young praised the late singer’s enduring impact on the genre. Sterban “used his unmistakable bass voice to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots,” Young said, calling him a “steady force and a foundational figure in country music.”
Sterban and his fellow bandmates were inducted into the Country Music Hall in 2015. He was also inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall in 1994, the Vocal Group Hall in 2001, and gained membership in the Grand Ole Opry in 2011.
Sterban died from complications of bronchitis and pneumonia following a long battle with cancer. He passed away on Saturday in Hendersonville, Tennessee, at the age of 83.
Sterban joined the vocal group in 1972 after leaving his position singing backup for Elvis Presley. He toured regularly with the band until his health declined in 2025.
Sterban delivered the celebrated “oom-papa-mow-mow” refrain on the Oak Ridge Boys’ 1981 blockbuster cover of “Elvira.” The track reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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