He just ran out of time much sooner than any of us thought possible. Now,Beckers widow Delia has issued a statement, saying that the musiciandied in the course of being treated for an extremely aggressive form of esophageal cancer. It seemed to have come out of nowhere and had spread with terrifying speed. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. In 2000 they released Two Against Nature, their first album of new material in twenty years. Two months afterSteely Dan co-founder Walter Becker died unexpectedly on September 3rd, his cause of death remained a mystery. Juanna's name doesn't appear on websites devoted to the '70s rock icons. All Rights Reserved. In a statement released to the media the day of Beckers death, Fagen recalled his long-time friend and musical partner as smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter, and closed by stating that he intended to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band.. Early on, Becker largely played bass, and he said he was encouraged to focus on the guitar by Fagen. In keeping with his wishes, he was cremated without ceremony or memorial in New York City. After the duo returned to New York in 1978, Beckers girlfriend Karen Roberta Stanley, who was an employee of ABC Dunhill Records and personal manager for the band, died of a drug overdose in his apartment on January 30, resulting in a wrongful death lawsuit against him. In September, the world lost Walter Becker, co-founder, guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter of Steely Dan, but no cause of death was given at the time. In the late '60s, the two worked with pop act "Jay and the Americans" before heading to Los Angeles to work as song-writers and eventually embarking on a career with themselves as the forefront as Steely Dan. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff Skunk Baxter rounded out the bands first line-up, alongside the drummer Jim Hodder. Young, ruthless and supremely intellectual, the two musicians gained a lifelong reputation for obsessive recording methods in the studio, forcing session musicians to record dozens of takes in search of the perfect sound at a cost that would be impossible to consider nowadays. Walter went to Stuyvesant high school, Manhattan, started on the saxophone, turned to the guitar and was taught to play the blues by Randy Wolfe, later famous as Randy California from the band Spirit. I could barely understand what was going with her, really, recalled Becker. That was the problem we had a lot of the time back then." He met Fagen at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and the two played in a series of unsuccessful bands including the Leather Canary. ', Delia Becker said that her husband sought privacy during his treatment and that it was important for his fans to know that 'he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition.'. Also find out how he got rich at the age of 67. [51], In a statement released to the media the day of Becker's death, Fagen recalled his long-time friend and musical partner as "smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter," and closed by stating that he intended to "keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band."[52]. He wanted to be able to return to the stage and once again perform for his fans. By 1980 Becker was in crisis. Becker was born in Queens, New York City. The best music, movies, TV, books, comedy and more. In 1985, he briefly became a member of the English band China Crisis, producing and playing synthesizer on their album Flaunt the Imperfection. [34] The songs were inspired by reggae and other styles of Jamaican music. In June 1981 he and Fagen went their separate ways. ", "Steely Dan changed the way I understand music forever; I started writing songs under the name "the Mountain Goats" the same month 1/2", "Read Rickie Lee Jones' Poignant Tribute to Steely Dan's Walter Becker", "Steely Dan's Donald Fagen on Walter Becker: 'Hysterically Funny, a Great Songwriter', Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Steely Dan, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain, Working with Fire and Steel Possible Pop Songs Volume Two, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_Becker&oldid=1144948744, Short description is different from Wikidata, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Companion media website - www.walterbeckermedia.com, This page was last edited on 16 March 2023, at 12:59. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. However, Fagens Kamakiriad (1993), produced by Becker, was preceded as a solo album by The Nightfly (1982), produced by Gary Katz. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in 1967. It seemed to have come out of nowhere and had spread with terrifying speed. He just ran out of time much sooner than any of us thought possible., The note thanks fans for the tsunami of tributes and remembrances that have come in the past two months, calling them deeply moving. As his number 1 fan, she wrote thateven she could not have predicted anything close to the depth and breadth of public expressions from those whose lives were enriched by Walter by his talent, his kindness, and his skill at inspiring some wicked fun. It's been universally agreed that our music is the best possible Muzak rock Muzak to play in the supermarket. Walter chose an intense regimen of chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering though, between the cancers aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected. Steely Dan broke up and Becker retired to a farm in Hawaii, where eventually he built a recording studio of his own. Walter chose an intense regimen of chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering though, between the cancers aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected., Delia Becker said her husband died peacefully at their home in New York City, surrounded by his family, his music, and a blustery rainstorm one of his favorite sounds blowing outside the window. Delia Becker said that 'the tsunami of tributes and remembrances that have followed Walters passing has been deeply moving.'. We want to hear it. I am just beginning to emerge from its heartbreaking impact. At the time of his passing on Sept. 3 no details were released about Beckers cause of death. He was seen as one of the most successful musician, songwriter, and record producer of all times. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Is I'm A Celebrity Australia real or fake? The tsunami of tributes and remembrances that have followed Walters passing has been deeply moving. Walter Becker has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which he earned from his occupation as musician, songwriter, and record producer. At the time of his death, no cause or other details were announced, but a statement released in November by Beckers widow, Delia Becker, detailed his struggle with the disease. As Walter Beckers wife of many years, I wanted to share with his fans some information regarding his death that has not previously been reported. 'Walter chose an intense regimen of chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering though, between the cancers aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected. "Once I met (session musician) Chuck Rainey", he explained, "I felt there really was no need for me to be bringing my bass guitar to the studio anymore". But after their huge success, the band and Becker in particular suffered set back after set back, until they decided to part ways for twenty years. Fagen played keyboards and sang, while Becker played bass guitar. He was struck by a taxi in 1979 and was confined to a wheelchair for a time, while falling prey to drug addiction. [43], In the spring of 2017, Becker was diagnosed with "an aggressive form of esophageal cancer" during an annual medical checkup. After a brief period of activity in New York City, the two moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, which enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career. I'm not interested in a rock/jazz fusion. Inkeeping with his wishes, he was cremated without ceremony or memorial in New York City. Its important to me, as it was to Walter, that you all know he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition. In the weeks prior to Beckers death, he missed Steely Dans Classic East and West concerts due to an unspecified ailment. Walter Becker, Steely Dan Co-Founder, Dead at 67 - Rolling Stone, Steely Dans Donald Fagen Tours With Young Nightflyers - WSJ. 22:55 BST 16 Nov 2017. No cause of death was announced at the time, though it was known that Becker underwent surgery in August and missed Steely Dan's Classic East and West concerts in July as he recovered from an unspecified ailment. They followed the album with a tour. [42][5], Becker was also married to Delia Cioffi and Juanna Fatouros. Walter Carl Becker, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, born 20 February 1950; died 3 September 2017, Superbly talented guitarist, singer and songwriter who co-founded Steely Dan, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The song broadcast Steely Dan's love of jazz, as it pulled its riff from pianist Horace Silver's light-stepping, Brazilian-tinged staple "Song for My Father." Becker and Fagen suspended their partnership in June 1981. I realize this is overdue, and I hope you will understand why. How do the British royal family make their money? It sounded like, you know, like a black person, really. Following a brief battle with esophageal cancer, he died on September 3, 2017. The comments below have not been moderated, By Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Two months after Steely Dan. "[8] They formed the band Leather Canary, which included fellow student Chevy Chase on drums. Steely Dan recently embarked on their first tour since the death of Becker. [from a 1974 interview with Rolling Stone magazine], New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy, (September 29, 1975 - April 12, 1978) (divorced), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. That year saw a shake-up for the band, asDias, Baxter and Hodder all quit - over Becker and Fagen's refusal to tour, according to Becker. It was with this 'enlarged band' concept, they released their best selling album Aja in 1977,their first platinum album which sold more than five million copies worldwide. In 1984 Becker married Elinor Roberta Meadows, a yoga teacher, and the couple had two children, including adopted daughter Sayan. Beckers Steely Dan bandmate Donald Fagen previously paid tribute to the late guitarist in a statement. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker has died today at the age of 67, his official site announced. The guitarist passed away on September 3at the age of 67, with a cause of death not confirmed at the time. In January that year, his girlfriend Karen Stanley died following a drug overdose in his apartment on the Upper West Side. At the time of his death he survived by his large extended friends and family. However, Steely Dans huge success proved difficult to handle for Becker, who became addicted to drugs, endured a series of crises and withdrew from the band to regain his sanity. Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. It seemed to have come out of nowhere and had spread with terrifying speed. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker's widow Delia reveals the circumstances surrounding Becker's death in a new letter to the band's fans. The duo continued to perform and record on a sporadic basis after that, receiving particular recognition for their album Two Against Nature (2000). Its important to me, as it was to Walter, that you all know he never intended to keep anyone in the dark about his condition. In 1991, Becker appeared in Fagens New York Rock and Soul Revue. Three years of touring to support the albums Cant Buy a Thrill (1972), Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) and Pretzel Logic (1974) proved too exhausting to follow up, despite the acclaim that Becker and Fagen received, and Steely Dan became a studio-only project for the remainder of the 1970s. Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has a pure loving kind heart personality. He died on September 3, 2017 in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Walter entered the career as musician, songwriter, and record producer In his early life after completing his formal education.. In addition to co-writing all of the band's material, Becker played guitar and bass guitar and sang background vocals. . "(B)etween the cancer's aggressiveness and the overwhelming toxicity resulting from the chemotherapy treatments, Walter died less than four months after the cancer was detected," September 3, 2017, she said. Becker's official site announced the death; no cause. [6] After starting out on saxophone, he switched to guitar and received instruction in blues technique from neighbor Randy California, who later formed the band Spirit. 'Walter had a very rough childhood I'll spare you the details. Becker wrote the song "Little Kawai" for his son, and it became the final song on the album 11 Tracks of Whack. [47], Musicians such as Julian Lennon,[48] Steve Lukather,[49] and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats[50] made public statements mourning Becker's death. The best Aussie MasterChef contestants of all time! Thank you, everyone, for helping me and his loved ones know that Walters mark on the world and on all of you will not soon fade. 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