According to Rolling Stone, renowned saxophonist Wayne Shorter passed away at the age of 89. Shorter’s group issued a statement confirming the heartbreaking news.
A visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, ardent Buddhist, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Wayne Shorter passed away at the age of 89, ending the world as we know it and beginning a new adventure as part of his great life.
His cherished Los Angeles family members were by his side when he passed away. ”.
The family of Shorter has not yet commented on the tragic news. Herbie Hancock, a musician and friend of Shorter, posted a heartfelt remembrance of the late icon on Twitter.
“My dearest friend, Wayne Shorter, left us with courage in his heart, love, compassion for humanity, and a longing spirit for the everlasting future,” Hancock wrote in a tweet.
The musician also praised Shorter for his “great qualities as a saxophonist, composer, orchestrator, and recently, composer of the magnificent opera”.
“I miss him because of his amazing Wayne-isms and being around him, but his soul lives on in my heart,” he continued”.
Unfortunately, Shorter has now joined the growing list of well-known people who died in 2023. Shorter regularly worked with Miles Davis and many other avant-garde jazz musicians between the 1950s and the 1970s, leaving behind a strong artistic legacy.
Wayne Shorter put in more than 70 years of his lengthy and successful career. The Horace Silver Quintet hired Shorter as a saxophonist in 1956, which marked the start of his professional career.
Shorter received his big break when he joined the Jazz Messengers two years later, a jazz-fusion group founded by regular Jazz Messengers drummer Art Blakey. When compared to other saxophonists of the era, Shorter’s tone was rich and melodic.
But his friendship with Miles Davis served as the impetus for some of Shorter’s most amazing duets. Shorter, who also played saxophone for Davis, wrote the songs “Footprints,” “Nefertiti,” and “Prince of Darkness”.
Shorter would carve out his own path by working on numerous solo and group musical endeavors. Throughout his career, Shorter received 12 Grammy wins and 23 nominations.
Additionally, he got paid for his work. Shorter and soloist Leo Genovese shared the “Best Improvised Jazz Solo” Grammy award in February 2023 for the song “Endangered Species”.
His wife Carolina Dos Santos and their only child Mikako Shorter, for whom he wrote the song “Miyako,” are still alive”.
