Terry Kirkman, co-founder of the hugely successful ’60s folk-rock act the Association, died on Saturday night of congestive heart failure. Kirkman had been through a long illness, and the band broke the news of his passing on Facebook. Kirkman was 83.

Terry Kirkman was born in Salina, Kansas, and he grew up largely in California. After studying music at Chaffey College, Kirkman found a job as a traveling salesman. On a trip to Hawaii, Kirkman met guitarist Jules Alexander, who was serving in the Navy at the time. When Alexander finished his time in the Navy, he and Kirkman moved to Los Angeles to make music together. Kirkman played coffeehouses with Frank Zappa for a little while, and he and Alexander started a folk group called the Inner Tubes, which briefly counted David Crosby and Mama Cass as members. The Inner Tubes grew into a massive 13-piece act called the Men, which served as house band at the Troubadour. When the Men broke up, six members of the group went on to start a new band called the Association.

The Association signed with Valiant Records, and they scored an early hit with “Along Comes Mary,” a lightly psychedelic novelty song built around a winking drug reference. The group followed that single with “Cherish,” a sunny love song written by Terry Kirkman, and it spent three weeks at #1 in 1966. A year later, the Association returned to #1 with “Windy,” a song written by the folk musician Ruthann Friedmann.

The Association landed a few more hits in the late ’60s, including the Kirkman-written “Everything That Touches You.” They played at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and they soundtracked the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus. Kirkman left the band in 1972, though he returned in 1979 and continued to perform with them for another five years before leaving again. Over the years, Kirkman rejoined the Association for occasional performances. In recent years, Kirkman served as clinical director of MusiCares’ Musicians Assistance Program, working to help musicians going through addiction.