Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) spent two minutes on the floor of the House of Representatives to mourn the death of Alex Chilton, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the iconic powerpop band Big Star, whom he called “a friend of mine and a great friend of music in the world.”

Cohen recited the lyrics from Chilton’s early band, the Box Tops’ “The Letter,” a song Chilton recorded when he was just 16 years old, and gave a stirring eulogy for the musician. “He is an embodiment of Memphis music,” he said. “Hard, different, independent, brilliant, beautiful. We’re lucky he came our way.”

Chilton was born in Memphis and was a fixture of the Memphis music scene throughout his life.