Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Recording Studios and a pioneering powerhouse on the Muscle Shoals music scene, has died at age 85, reports say.

According to a story in the TimesDaily in Florence, Hall died this morning at his home. Judy Hood, a board member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the wife of bassist David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (aka "the Swampers"), confirmed Hall's death.

"It's a very, very sad day for Muscle Shoals and music in general," Hood told the TimesDaily. She said Hall had been living in a nursing home in the Shoals, but returned home before Christmas.

A post today on the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Facebook page also announced his death and memorialized Hall.

Well folks, 2018 is off to a rough start. Rick Hall has passed away. Rick Hall was a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable force in the world of music. A lifetime is not enough to appreciate his work. Posted by Alabama's Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Hall, a producer, music publisher, songwriter and author, was a key figure in creating the Muscle Shoals sound during the 1960s in north Alabama. He worked with artists such as Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman and Etta James, putting a small Alabama town on the map in the music world.

Hall was prominently featured in the 2013 "Muscle Shoals" documentary and wrote a book about his life and work, 2015's "The Man from Muscle Shoals: My Journey from Shame to Fame."

"You can do anything if you believe in yourself," Hall said during a 2015 interview with Lynn Oldshue for AL.com. "Don't give me the crap, 'I do believe, but just not that much,' that's never going to make it. It's called persistence and I am still fanatical about perfection, but it is still not good enough."