In a statement on his website, Paul McCartney express his memories of musician Phil Everly, of The Everly Brothers, who passed away last week.

“Phil Everly was one of my great heroes,” McCartney writes. “With his brother Don, they were one of the major influences on The Beatles. When John and I first started to write songs, I was Phil and he was Don. Years later when I finally met Phil, I was completely starstruck and at the same time extremely impressed by his humility and gentleness of soul. I will always love him for giving me some of the sweetest musical memories of my life.”

The song, “On the Wings of a Nightingale,” which was the first track on the Everly Brothers’ 1984 album EB84, was written by Paul McCartney specifically for the two brothers. McCartney played guitar on the recording, and the song lasted three months on the Billboard Hot 100.

Everly died Friday from complications of COPD. He was 74.