Rusty Young, a founding member of country rock vets Poco, died on Wednesday of a heart attack at his home in Davisville, Missouri. He was 75.

“Rusty was the most unpretentious, caring and idyllic artist I have ever worked with, a natural life force that he consistently poured into his music,” says Rick Alter, Poco and Rusty’s manager of more than 20 years. “To fans and fellow musicians alike, he was a once-in-a-lifetime musician, songwriter, performer and friend.”

Rusty had played pedal steel on Buffalo Springfield’s final album, 1968’s Last Time Around, and formed Poco with the band’s Jim Messina and Richie Furay. The pedal steel was intrinsic to Poco’s sound, and Rusty wrote their biggest hit, 1979’s “Crazy Love,” as well as “Rose of Cimarron” and a number of the band’s other best-known songs.

Rest in peace, Rusty.