Johnny Carter, who achieved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition for his doo-wop crooning with both the Dells and the Flamingos, died at a hospital in his hometown of Harvey, Illinois, early on Friday, according to the Quad-City Times. He had been battling lung cancer. "We have lost an incredible voice that graced two of the most significant vocal groups of all time," the Hall of Fame's CEO and president Terry Stewart said, adding that Carter, who was the last living founding member of the Flamingos, was "one of a select few artists inducted twice" into the Hall of Fame.

John E. Carter and four friends from a Chicago church choir formed the Flamingos, whose sound would have a great impact on the soul and R&B of the next two decades, in 1952. The group was known for singles like 'Golden Teardrops' and the R&B chart hit 'I'll Be Home,' sung from the perspective of a military serviceman, as well as 'I Only Have Eyes for You,' a remade pop track. The group had a handful lead singers and performed in a number of different configurations well into the '90s. Carter left the group to enlist in the military in 1957. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Dells also formed in 1952, in Carter's hometown of Harvey. Carter joined in 1960, replacing Johnny Funches as the lead singer. The group had had a hit with 'Oh, What a Night,' but broke into the big time when they auditioned and won the part of Dinah Washington's backup group. They also toured with Ray Charles. Their style was perfected and their influences expanded with the help of Quincy Jones, but it was undoubtedly the one-two punch of joint leads -- baritone Marvin Junior and falsetto tenor Johnny Carter -- that helped propel the group onto the charts. 'There Is,' their 1968 album, saw six hit singles including a new version of 'Oh, What a Night,' and 'Stay In My Corner,' a pioneering six-plus minutes in length.

Though the 1960s and 1970s saw the most hits, the Dells continued to release albums and compilations into this decade, and were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. The 1991 musical film 'The Five Heartbeats' is in part inspired by the lives of the Dells.

Watch the group in a performance of their signature 1968 version of 'Oh, What a Night':