AceShowbiz - "Summer Breeze" hitmaker Jim Seals has died aged 80. His wife Ruby Jean Seals announced that the former member of soft rock duo Seals and Crofts with Darrell "Dash" Crofts passed away on Monday, June 6 after battling "chronic ongoing illness."

Seals' death was confirmed by his cousin Brady Seals, who tweeted, "I just learned that James 'Jimmy' Seals has passed. My heart just breaks for his wife Ruby and their children. Please keep them in your prayers. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind."

Tributes have poured in for the star, whose hits also include "Get Closer" and "Diamond Girl". Among those who paid tribute was [ Ford Coley] of rival 70s soft rock duo [ Dan] who hailed Seals a "dyed-in-the-wool musical genius." He wrote, "Wow. Don’t even know where to begin… I spent a large portion of my musical life with this man. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, especially as musicians, but we always got along and I thought he was a bona fide, dyed-in-the-wool musical genius and a very deep and contemplative man. He belonged to a group that was one of a kind."

Seals and Crofts formed in 1969, with the former on guitar, saxophone and violin and Crofts on guitar and mandolin. Regarded as their biggest hit, "Summer Breeze" reached number 6 in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart upon its release in 1972. The harmonious anthem later became a hit for The Isley Brothers in 1974.

The pair disbanded in 1980 after releasing their final album, "The Longest Road", before being dropped by their record label. They reunited in 1991 and again in 2004 for what would mark their last LP, "Traces".

Seals is survived by his wife Ruby and children Joshua, Juliette and Sutherland.