Richard Sterban, the bass vocalist of the Grammy-award winning gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys and a country music hall of famer, died Saturday, his family and the band said in a statement. He was 83.
Sterban, who had been with the band since 1972, died in Hendersonville, Tennessee, due to complications from bronchitis and pneumonia after a long battle with cancer, they said.
Sterban left his job as a backup singer for Elvis Presley to join the vocal group, which perhaps became best known for its rendition of “Elvira.” Sterban toured regularly with the group until 2025, when his health deteriorated.
The Oak Ridge Boys won five Grammy awards and were nominated 23 times. They performed for presidents, on American Bandstand, at the Grammy Awards ceremony and at the Grand Ole Opry. They toured with Johnny Cash and sang backup vocals on Paul Simon's hit “Slip Slidin’ Away.”
Sterban and the band's three other members were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015, joining Presley. They joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. And in 2011 they gained membership in the Grand Ole Opry.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, Sterban was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame in 1994 along with Joe Bonsall, another Oak Ridge Boys member who died in 2024 and who sang with Sterban in the Keystones.
In a statement, Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said Sterban “used his unmistakable bass voice to connect commercial country music to its deep gospel roots” and called him a “steady force and a foundational figure in country music.”
“He helped the supergroup achieve seventeen No. 1 hits, legions of fans the world over, and a well-deserved place in the Country Music Hall of Fame,” Young said.
The band's golden period in the ’80s and beyond included 1981's “Elvira,” the 1982 hit “Bobbie Sue” and 1983’s “American Made.” “Elvira” was a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100.
Sterban is survived by his wife, Donna; daughters Lauren and Tori; sons Rich, Doug and Chris; and 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
FILE - The Oak Ridge Boys, from left, Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban appear at the Grammy Awards with their award for Country Performance by a duo or group in Los Angeles, Feb. 24, 1982. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
FILE - Duane Allen, from left, William Lee Golden, Ben James, and Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys arrive at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, May 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys performs during the All for the Hall concert, April 10, 2000, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers face Joe Burrow and the Bengals with first place in the AFC North at stake.
The Sunday night matchup is the only primetime game in Week 9 featuring two winning teams.
Rodgers outplayed Burrow in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 victory in Week 3. The Steelers (6-2) have won four straight and are coming off a bye. The Bengals (6-2) also have won four in a row and are back after a trip to Spain, where they beat Atlanta.
That’s an advantage for Pittsburgh.
Burrow is 4-4 in his career against the Steelers.
The Bengals are 3½-point favorites. Pro Picks sees a close game after kicking off the week with a loss when the Commanders beat the Giants 24-21 on Thursday night.
BENGALS: 24-23
Line: Lions minus 2½
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez struggled in a lopsided loss at home to Green Bay. The Patriots need their QB and star cornerback to play well to have a chance against Detroit. Jared Goff’s streak of 30 consecutive regular-season games with at least one TD pass ended last week in a win at Miami. The Lions have won five straight games after a 1-2 start.
LIONS: 26-22
Line: Bills minus 8½
Buffalo has won five straight in this series and 10 of 12 since 2020. Josh Allen has 21 TDs combined passing and rushing this season. The Bills have played much better defense the past two weeks. Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey has 7½ sacks and five forced fumbles in eight games.
BILLS: 24-17
Line: Saints minus 2½
Two losing teams battling for first place is common in the weak NFC South. The Panthers are reeling following three straight losses. But QB Bryce Young has played some of his best football this season. He’ll face plenty of pressure from the Saints. Chase Young and Carl Granderson have combined for 15½ sacks. New Orleans swept the series last year after Tyler Shough took over as starting QB.
UPSET SPECIAL: PANTHERS: 23-20
Line: Texans minus 4½
C.J. Stroud has 16 TD passes with only two interceptions and the Texans have won three of four after an 0-4 start. A defense that sacked Justin Herbert eight times could have a big day against an offensive line that’s allowed 38 sacks. Shedeur Sanders played well last week filling in, but Deshaun Watson will start. The Browns are 3-0 at home and begin a stretch of four straight in front of the Dawg Pound.
TEXANS: 20-17
Line: Jaguars minus 10½
The Jaguars were aggressive at the trade deadline, bolstering a defense that’s allowed just 15.1 points per game. Trevor Lawrence leads an offense that’s fourth in scoring (28.6 points). The Titans are coming off a bye following an impressive performance by Cam Ward in an overtime loss to the Bengals. But they traded another top defensive player, sending safety Amani Hooker to Buffalo. The Jaguars swept the season series in each of the last two years.
JAGUARS: 30-16
Line: Chiefs minus 3
Patrick Mahomes has a new receiver after the Chiefs acquired Josh Downs. He'll need him feven more this week ater Kenneth Walker III was ruled out with a groin injury on Saturday. Walker already had five 100-yard rushing games in the first eight. The Falcons have All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL with 880 yards rushing in one more game played than Walker. Atlanta has lost four of five, traded Bates and is coming off a game in Spain.
BEST BET: CHIEFS: 26-17
Line: Colts minus 3½
Kyle McCord will make his first career start for the Dolphins, who placed Malik Willis on injured reserve this week. The Colts traded Downs and Keenan Allen but Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor remain in Indianapolis. They’ll need some receivers to step up. Shane Steichen is coaching for his job after losing 14 of 16 going back to last season.
COLTS: 22-16
Line: Packers minus 3½
Kirk Cousins is back with the Vikings. He played for Kevin O’Connell in 2022-23 so he knows the offense. Minnesota has a championship-caliber defense and hopes Cousins can fix its offensive woes. Jordan Love was nearly flawless last week at New England and leads the NFL in passing. Green Bay’s Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are Nos. 3 and 4 in yards receiving. The Packers are last in the competitive NFC North despite a .667 winning percentage. The Vikings won the first matchup in Week 1.
PACKERS: 23-22
Line: Rams minus 9½
Matthew Stafford won’t have Puka Nacua for at least a month and Davante Adams is already out, so the Rams will need to rely more on Kyren Williams and the run game along with a stout defense. Myles Garrett had three sacks in his first game back and he’ll be going against a QB making his NFL debut. Rookie Carson Beck replaces Gardner Minshew, who was placed on injured reserve. Beck won’t have top receiver Michael Wilson, who also went on IR. The Cardinals beat the Rams 18-16 in Los Angeles last month but coach Sean McVay is 16-4 vs. Arizona.
RAMS: 26-13
Line: Seahawks minus 6½
Drew Lock fills in again for Sam Darnold while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza makes his first career start going against the defending Super Bowl champions. It’ll be a difficult matchup for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza, who led Indiana to a national championship, faces the league’s top-ranked defense.
SEAHAWKS: 23-13
Line: 49ers minus 4½
The 49ers added another veteran receiver in Allen to join their injury-riddled group that could start seeing guys return. That’ll be a big boost for an offense led by Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffery and George Kittle. The up-and-down Cowboys haven’t been consistent enough on offense or defense. They can score plenty of points and give them up, too.
49ERS: 30-27
Line: Ravens minus 4½
The winless Chargers have to win a game eventually. Justin Herbert is having a miserable season but he’s too talented to go 0-17. The Ravens have lost four straight and are turning to Jacoby Brissett after losing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injuries and giving Joe Fagnano his first career start.
RAVENS: 23-20.
Last week: Straight up: 14-1. Against spread: 10-5.
Overall: Straight up: 90-46-1. Against spread: 77-57-3.
Best Bet: Straight up: 6-3. Against spread: 5-4.
Upset Special: Straight up: 4-5. Against spread: 4-5.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game against Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
