Herb Deutsch, who invented the Moog synthesizer alongside namesake Bob Moog, has died at 90.

The musical instrument company announced his passing over the weekend, writing in a statement: “As a colleague, Herb helped Bob discover his passion for being a toolmaker. Together they developed a model for how engineers and artists may work together to achieve their creative dreams. The belief that an instrument’s designer must understand the artist’s mind and creative needs remains the core of all that we do at Moog to this day.”

Deutsch was born in Hempstead, NY in 1932. Shortly after becoming a professor at Hofstra University, Deutsch met Moog at a music conference in Rochester, and they bonded over their fascination with theremins. The pair soon began working on what would eventually become the Moog synthesizer. Deutsch created the first-ever composition using the Moog, “Jazz Images: A Work Song In Blues,” and he performed live with it for the first time at a show at Town Hall in New York City in 1965.

“As a composer, Herb helped show the world how song is one of the greatest languages for storytelling,” Moog Music Inc. wrote in their remembrance of Deutsch. “He believed in the power of music and recognized its role as a catalyst for change. As an educator, Herb touched thousands of lives over his 50+ years of teaching. He inspired many to form lifelong relationships with music and composition. His students will remember him as a man who dedicated his life to making the world a more wonderful place through sound.”

Bob Moog passed away in 2005 at age 71.