(CNN) Musician Billy Joe Royal, the voice of 1960s pop hits including "Down in the Boondocks" who resurfaced as a country star in the 1980s, died at age 73.

Royal died in his sleep Tuesday in his home in Morehead City, North Carolina, friend and tour partner Ronnie McDowell said.

McDowell, a childhood friend, said the two were scheduled to start touring after Thanksgiving.

There was "never a nicer guy on the planet than Billy," he said. "Now he belongs to the ages."

Billy Joe Royal in 1980

Royal was born in 1942 in Valdosta, Georgia, and raised north of Atlanta. He performed on local radio shows before moving to Savannah to perform with the house band at the Bamboo Ranch. There, he became friends with Roy Orbison and learned from guest performers at the club, including Sam Cooke, Fats Domino and The Isley Brothers, according to his biography.

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