Carl Gardner | Coasters lead singer, 83

Carl Gardner, 83, original lead singer of the R&B group the Coasters, died Sunday at a hospice in Port St. Lucie, Fla., after a long bout with congestive heart failure and vascular dementia.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Coasters had a string of hits in the late 1950s, including "Poison Ivy," and "Young Blood." Their single "Yakety Yak" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its 1958 release. It also spent seven weeks as the No. 1 rhythm-and-blues song.

"He loved his singing," said Veta Gardner, his wife of 24 years. "That was his whole life."

The Coasters have continued to perform over the decades, with multiple changes to the lineup. Mr. Gardner had always held the rights to the group's name, and his son, Carl Gardner Jr., took over as lead singer when his father retired in 2005.

According to the group's website, the elder Gardner was born in Tyler, Texas, and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s. He became a founding member of the Coasters in 1955.

The Coasters had 14 songs on the R&B charts, and eight crossed over to the pop Top 40, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their hits were written by the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

He had been a longtime advocate for legislation that would prevent bogus groups from using the names of famous acts such as the Coasters, the Drifters, the Shirelles, and the Platters. Florida lawmakers passed such legislation in 2007. - AP