walter parazaider, a saxophonist and founding member of Chicago, died early Wednesday at 81 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years ago. JacLynn said, "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."
Chicago in 1967
Parazaider helped form Chicago in 1967, when the band was still known as the Chicago Transit Authority, alongside Robert Lamm, James Pankow, Peter Cetera, Danny Seraphine, Lee Loughnane and Terry Kath. He was one of the original members who helped shape the group’s early sound through saxophone and flute parts.
Colour My World
His flute also appeared on Chicago’s 1970 hit "Colour my World," one of the band’s best-known early recordings. Terry Kath, another founding member, died in 1978 at age 31, leaving Parazaider and the others as part of the surviving original lineup.
JacLynn’s Statement
JacLynn’s comments put the loss in personal terms and described the end of his illness after a 59-year marriage. For fans, the immediate change is the absence of one of the musicians who helped define Chicago from the start, with his work still tied to the band’s early catalog and the recordings that carried his flute and saxophone parts forward.
