Richard Sterban, the bass voice of The Oak Ridge Boys, has died at age 83.

A firm representing the quartet confirmed Sterban died in Hendersonville, Tennessee, of complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a “long, hard battle with cancer.”

Sterban joined The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972 and became most known as the voice of the bass run in their classic song “Elvira.” The bass line — “oom poppa mow mow” — is one of the most familiar sounds in American music, per the group’s representation.

With lead singer Duane Allen, baritone William Lee Golden and tenor Joe Bonsall, he helped carry a Southern gospel quartet into the heart of country and pop music, the firm said. The group placed 34 singles in the country Top 10, 17 of them at No. 1, earned Grammy, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards, and became members of the Grand Ole Opry, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.