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Following founding Steely Dan guitarist Walter Becker‘s death Sunday at age 67 of as-yet-unannounced causes, various well-known musicians have taken to their social media sites to pay tribute to the influential jazz-rock musician.
David Crosby didn’t post a specific homage to Becker, but he retweeted the heartfelt tribute that Steely Dan frontman Donald Fagen penned to his late musical partner. Crosby also wrote on his Twitter feed that Steely Dan is his “favorite band,” and that he wished he’d been friends with Becker.
Bryan Adams, meanwhile, tweeted of Becker’s passing, “RIP Walter Becker. Such a huge fan, thanks for the music. Condolences to Donald Fagan and family.”
Toto guitarist Steve Lukather wrote on his Twitter feed, “Really sad to hear Walter Becker has passed… Steely Dan music touched me deep. My desert Island music. RIP Walter. Condolences Donald.”
Here a few other online tributes to Becker:
Slash: “RIP #WalterBecker.”
Julian Lennon: “So, so sad to hear this news… [Steely Dan] played locally a few years ago, they were as amazing as ever… I asked to go…”
The Record Academy’s CEO, Neil Portnow, also issued an official statement regarding Becker’s passing that reads, in part, “With Steely Dan partner Donald Fagen, Walter Becker created some of the smartest, most artful rock to ever hit the charts. Brimming with irony and filed in with brush strokes of jazz and R&B, three of the group’s albums — 1977’s Aja, 1980’s Gaucho, and 2000’s Two Against Nature — were nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy, with the latter winning the award. Walter and Steely Dan set the standard for sophisticated progressive pop, and he will be greatly missed.”
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