Zappa RecordsThe original singer for Mothers of Invention, the '60s and '70s rock band that propelled Frank Zappa to stardom, has ****.

Ray Collins passed away Christmas Eve in Pomona, California, at the age of 73, according to Variety. He suffered cardiac arrest earlier in the month and had subsequently been in a medically-induced coma until his death.

The Mothers of Invention formed in 1964 with Collins in the fold, though they were initially an R&B cover band known as Soul Giants. Zappa joined not long after, and the renamed group released a few albums, including their 1966 debut Freak Out!, before Collins left over differences he had with Zappa.

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