- Walter Parazaider, one of the founders of the rock band Chicago, died at the age of 81.
- He passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Walter Parazaider was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016
Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the rock band Chicago, has died. The 81-year-old passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Parazaider played several wind instruments in the band, including the flute, sax and clarinet.
The musician's wife, JacLynn, told TMZ that Parazaider passed away on Wednesday morning in hospice care. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's six years ago.
“He had put up a good fight with Alzheimer's and unfortunately it ended tonight. We are going to miss him for sure ... We were married for 59 years and we had 59 wonderful years,” she said.
Chicago paid tribute to Paradaizer on their Instagram handle. The band said that they were "heartbroken" by his demise.
“A Rock & Roll band with horns was Walt's idea. He put the band together and they rehearsed in the basement of his mother's home. He is also the one who did the hard work to book shows for the young, unknown band, performing top 40 covers at local bars in and around Chicago,” the post read.
Expressing gratitude for his contributions, Chicago said that Walter Paradaizer's greatest gift “was bringing people together. This amazing music may have never been heard had it not been for Walt's vision.”
Chicago was formed in Parazaider's basement. Keyboardist/vocalist Robert Lamm, bassist/vocalist Peter Cetera, trombonist James Pankow, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, drummer Danny Seraphine and guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath were the other founding members.
The group was originally named The Big Thing before changing its moniker to Chicago Transit Authority and later, Chicago, in 1969. Parazaider was one-third of the group's brass/woodwind section alongside James Pankow and Lee Loughnane.
His association with the band stretched from its earliest days to 2018, when he retired due to health issues. During his career, he played thousands of concerts and appeared on almost all of Chicago's albums.
The band's debut became a hit due to tracks like Beginnings, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? and Questions 67 and 68.
Other hits included Old Days, Saturday in the Park and Feelin' Stronger Every Day. In 1976, the band's soft-rock ballad, If You Leave Me Now, hit the number one spot, Rolling Stone reported.
In 2016, Parazaider was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
