Malcolm Young, a founding member and chief songwriter for hard rock legends AC/DC, has died. He was 64-years-old. 

The band confirmed Young’s death in a post on their official Facebook page.

“With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band,” they said. “As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man.”

Young was among the original members of the Australian group, along with brother and fellow guitarist Angus. Along with vocalist Bon Scott and an ever-changing assortment of drummers and bassists, the brothers scored a number of hits like TNT and Highway to Hell.

After Scott’s death in 1980, Brian Johnson took over vocal duties. With him, the band reached even greater success, releasing the classic Back in Black later that year. The record becamse one of the highest selling albums of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold around the world.

While much of the attention on the band focused on Johnson’s growly voice and Angus Young’s rapid-fire blues-based guitar solos and schoolboy uniform, it was Malcolm Young’s riffs and barebones power chords that were behind hits like Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long and Thunderstruck.

In recent years, AC/DC suffered a number of setbacks. Johnson retired in 2016 after suffering hearing loss from the years of touring, though the band recruited Guns N'Roses vocalist Axl Rose as a replacement. In 2014, the group announced Malcolm was suffering from dementia and would be stepping away from music. He was replaced by his nephew, Stevie.