J. Geils dead: Celebrities react to the rock star's death

John Warren Geils Jr., the founder and lead guitarist for the J. Geils Band, was found dead Tuesday in his Massachusetts home. He was 71.

Groton Police said in a statement that they were called to Geils' home at around 4 p.m. local time to do a wellness check. Officers found Geils unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The J. Geils Band was founded in 1967 in Worcester, Mass., while Geils was studying at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The band released 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985. They reunited off and on until recent years.

The band had several Top 40 singles in the early 1970s, including a cover song "Lookin' for a Love" by the family group The Valentinos and "Give It to me."Their biggest hits included "Must of Got Lost," which reached No. 12 on Billboard's Top 100 in 1975. "Love Stinks," a rant against unrequited love, was the title song on their 1980 album.

His fellow musicians and those in the Boston community reacted to his death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.