(Los Angeles) American saxophonist David Sanborn, whose influence went far beyond the world of jazz thanks to his collaborations with David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen, died at the age of 78 following a cancer.
The musician “died Sunday afternoon, May 12, after a long battle with prostate cancer,” from which he suffered since 2018, according to a message published on his Facebook page.
He was recognized as a big name in jazz but also as an unclassifiable artist, who tried his hand at an infinite variety of musical genres: jazz fusion, Latin jazz, disco, funk, pop, rock, soul and even blues.
In six decades of a prolific career, he has released 25 albums and won six Grammy Awards.
His skills as an outstanding technician have allowed him to collaborate with sacred monsters of music: he notably plays a memorable solo on the title Young Americans by David Bowie, appears on the album Talking Book by Stevie Wonder, and Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.
He also accompanied the Rolling Stones, and appeared on stage at the legendary Woodstock festival with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, among others.
Born in Tampa, Florida in 1945, he grew up in Missouri, in the southern United States.
Suffering from poliomyelitis –– a disease that affects the nervous system and causes paralysis – during his childhood, he began playing the saxophone on the advice of a doctor, to strengthen his lung capacity.
Despite his cancer diagnosis in 2018, he continued to film frequently and still had scenes planned for the next year.