Gary Richrath, the longtime lead guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon, died on Sunday. He was 65.

Erik Stein, a publicist for the band, confirmed the death but did not specify the cause or where Mr. Richrath died.

Mr. Richrath was born in October 1949 and joined the band shortly before it recorded its self-titled debut album in 1971. He remained with it until 1989.

He wrote or collaborated in the writing of a number of the band’s songs, including “Take It on the Run,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1981, and “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” a staple of the band’s concert repertoire. REO Speedwagon had 13 Top 40 hits between 1980 and 1988, including the No. 1 hits with “Keep On Loving You” (1980) and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1985). Its 1980 album, “Hi Infidelity,” sold 10 million copies in the United States and contained four Top 40 singles, including “Take It on the Run” and another Richrath composition, “In Your Letter.”

Mr. Richrath rejoined REO Speedwagon for one night in 2013, when the band performed a benefit concert in Bloomington, Ill., to raise money for tornado victims.

In a statement on the band’s website and Facebook page, Kevin Cronin, the lead singer, wrote, “I learned most of what I know about being in a rock band from Gary Richrath.”

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