R.I.P.: Allman Bros. Band Co-Founder Butch Trucks Shot Self

UPDATE 3:00PM 1/26/17:  Butch Trucks, the gifted drummer who co-founded classic rock's Allman Brothers Band, died after he shot himself in front of his wife of 25 years, according to police records obtained exclusively by Dailymail.com.

The 69-year-old rocker's entourage and police in West Palm Beach, where Trucks died Tuesday night, have tried to keep the cause of his death hidden from the public and millions of fans.

But the transcript of a frantic call made to West Palm Beach Police about 6:00 p.m. Tuesday provides the awful details of the drummer's death at home in the downtown waterfront Villa Del Lago complex.

A woman caller who is unidentified on the transcript but described as 'hysterical' dialed 911 at 6:02 p.m., the transcript shows.

Earlier Story...

(Reuters) -- Drummer Butch Trucks, a founding member of American southern rock band the Allman Brothers, has died at the age of 69, his agent said on Wednesday.

Trucks died on Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, his booking agent Page Stallings said. The cause of death was unknown.

"His wife, four children, four grandchildren and all of the Allman Brothers Band, their families and Road Crew survive Butch. The Trucks and Allman Brothers Band families request all of Butch’s friends and fans to please respect our privacy at this time of sadness for our loss. Butch will play on in our hearts forever," Stallings said in a statement.

Trucks helped form the Allman Brothers band in Florida in 1969, along with Duane Allman (guitar), Gregg Allman (vocals and organ), Dickey Betts (guitar), Berry Oakley (bass), and fellow drummer Jai Johanny Johanson.

The two drummers developed a rhythmic style combining jazz and conventional beats that became a signature of the band.

Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in 1971 but the Allman Brothers kept going and went on to play some of the biggest shows in their career.

Trucks recently formed a new group, Butch Trucks and the Freight Train, which had been playing dates in Florida in December and had U.S. tour dates booked in March.