Lyle Mays, the pianist and composer from Wausaukee who co-founded the innovative jazz fusion band the Pat Metheny Group, has died, according to an announcement posted on his official Facebook page late Monday night. He was 66.

According to the Facebook post, written by his niece Aubrey Johnson, Mays died Monday morning in Los Angeles "surrounded by loved ones, after a long battle with a recurring illness."

"Lyle was a brilliant musician and person, and a genius in every sense of the word," the post reads. "From his family, thank you for loving him and his music."