Photo by Gems/Redferns

George Tickner, a founding member of the platinum-selling San Francisco rock band Journey, has died at 76.

The news was shared by the co-founding lead guitarist of the band, Neal Schon.

“You will be missed immensely,” Schon wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 4. “Thank you for your incomparable contributions to Journey’s early years.”

No cause of death was stated.

George Tickner was a former member of the psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch, was a member of Journey’s original lineup in 1973. They originally formed the band, called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section, to provide backup to other Bay Area artists before they changed their minds and began their own music.

The band soon changed its name to Journey and secured a record deal with Columbia Records.

Tickner eventually decided to leave the music industry behind to study medicine at Stanford University.