Dennis Greene has passed away. The former member and founder of the doo-wop group Sha Na Na died at the age of 66 on Saturday at a hospital near his hometown in Ohio, according to The New York Times. His brother Gerald confirmed that Dennis had passed, but did not specify the cause of death. His nephew, Edward Robinson, however, later explained that he died after suffering from a brief illness.
Sha Na Na started as an a cappella group but mostly became famous in the 70s for their nostalgic and comedic approach to 50s rock 'n' roll music. They became especially popular after they performed at Woodstock in 1969. At the time, Dennis was an undergraduate student at Columbia University. He was one of the lead singers and was known for the gold suits he often wore during their shows. They were even a part of the hit 1978 movie "Grease."
While he did love music, law was his main passion, Robinson explained, according to The Associated Press. He left Sha Na Na in 1984 to pursue his master's degree at Harvard and a law degree at Yale and he never looked back.
In 1998, he said in an interview that he "did not regret the decision." "Being a rock star was never something that was particularly interesting to me," he said. "It was a great job. I loved the singing part. The byproducts, unfortunately, were exhausting travel and the ongoing-forever politics of being in a business controlled by young adults."
He eventually went on to become a movie studio executive and a law professor, according to Yahoo. He was a Columbia Pictures vice president and even began teaching law at the University of Dayton in 2001.
He is survived by his brothers Gerald and Michael. Services, which will be open to the public, will be held on Sept. 19 at Church of the Immaculate Conception in New York City, where he grew up.
