Photo by Julies Bates (1980)

Bob Casale, an original member of Devo, has died. Casale died from "conditions that lead to heart failure," according to a posting on the group's official Facebook page. He was 61.

Devo was founded in 1972 in Akron, Ohio by Casale's brother, Gerald Casale, and Mark Mothersbaugh, and became one of the seminal bands of the classic New Wave era. Bob was often credited as "Bob 2", playing the rhythm guitar and keyboard, as well as sometimes serving as producer and engineer. (Guitarist Robert Mothersbaugh, brother of Mark, was "Bob 1".) He performed on Devo's albums from 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! to 2010's Something for Everybody—including their 1980 hit "Whip It".

"As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning," Gerald Casale wrote on Facebook. "He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all. "

"Whip It":

Live on "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" in 1979:

The Men Who Make the Music, 1989 VHS excerpt: