James Blackwood, the last founding member of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet and one of the giants of Southern gospel music, died of complications of a stroke. He was 82.

Blackwood suffered with several health problems the past few years, including colon cancer. He died Sunday at Methodist Healthcare-Central Hospital, said spokeswoman Ruth Ann Hale.

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet recorded more than 200 albums, toured the world, and helped form the Gospel Music Association in 1964. They were a favorite of Elvis Presley, who sang briefly with James' nephew Cecil in another quartet, the Songfellows.