Bobby Keys obit

Rolling Stones Saxophonist Bobby Keys Dead at 70

The musician who appeared on "Brown Sugar," "Live With Me" and countless others played with the band for more than 40 years 

He was not on the list.

BOBBY KEYS, THE larger-than-life saxophone player who toured with the Rolling Stones for more than 45 years and played on studio classics like “Brown Sugar” and “Live With Me,” has passed away. He was 70.

“If you believe in the magic of rock & roll, which I devoutly do, it isn’t in the individual,” Keys told Rolling Stone in 2012. “I’ve played in bands with A-team players around, but unless they can play together, it doesn’t do any good.”

“The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, Bobby Keys,” the band said in a statement. “Bobby made a unique musical contribution to the band since the 1960s. He will be greatly missed.”

“I have lost the largest pal in the world and I can’t express the sense of sadness I feel, although Bobby would tell me to cheer up,” Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in a statement. “My condolences to all that knew him and his love of music.”

Keys was born in Slaton, Texas, where he discovered the powerful sound of bandleader King Curtis. “He approached his [sax] solos differently than your jazz cats – most of ’em were pretty snooty jazzberries who thought rock & roll was just a waste of time. But King Curtis, he played sax the way a guitar plays, like James Burton would play a lead on a song. It was how he played and how he attacked the notes and his phrasing that was different than the normal.”

In Lubbock, Keys befriended Buddy Holly, playing with him briefly as a teenager. “I kind of weaseled my way into the perimeter of the garage,” recalled Keys. “He was the first guy I heard play electric guitar and it impressed the hell out of me.”