Vernon Isley (1942-1955) was a singer and one of the original members of the family band The Isley Brothers during the time the group began their career as a gospel quartet where Vernon shared co-lead singing duties with older brother Ronald. Vernon was killed at the age of 13 when his bicycle collided with an oncoming car in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Isley Brothers (O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald) stopped performing for a few months, unable to deal with the tragedy. They were advised by their parents to keep on going with the family group, which they did, reviving the group in 1956 with Ronald as the group's only lead vocalist.