Many musicians, including some who played with Steely Dan, have taken to social media with reactions to Walter Becker's death on Sunday at age 67. (Steely Dan albums they played on are in parentheses.)
Keyboardist David Paich of Toto (Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied): "[Toto drummer] Jeff [Porcaro] and I were both 20 when we played on ["Black Friday"]. I still pinch myself when I think of getting to play on the Steely albums. Thank you Walter for a lifetime of inspiration and for trusting me to do my thing at such a young age. You will be missed."
Guitarist Larry Carlton (Katy Lied, Aja, Gaucho): "Very very sad this morning. Heard about the passing of Walter Becker. Musical icon and wonderful guy. My condolences to his family and to Donald [Fagen]. R.I.P."
Guitarist Elliott Randall (Can't Buy a Thrill, Katy Lied, The Royal Scam): "Whenever I recorded with Walter and Donald, right before the engineer pushed the red button, Walt would shimmy over to me and in a stage whisper, would say: 'Just play the blues Elliott… just play the blues.' Walter and I shared a particular desire – to 'find the lost chord.' I’ll keep working on that, pal. And most importantly: The copious music and laughter we shared is forever ingrained in my being."
Drummer Bernard Purdie (The Royal Scam, Gaucho): "So honored to have worked with this man. A true professional and fabulous musician. R.I.P."
Drummer Steve Gadd (Gaucho): "Rest in Peace Walter Becker."
Guitarist Steve Lukather of Toto: "Really sad to hear Walter Becker has passed... Steely Dan music touched me deep. My desert island music. RIP Walter. Condolences Donald."
Keyboardist Steve Porcaro of Toto: "Rest in Peace Walter. Thank you for everything."
Bryan Adams: "RIP Walter Becker. Such a huge fan, thanks for the music. Condolences to Donald Fagen and family."
Ryan Adams: "Walter Becker, you changed my life with your mystical music and guitar playing. You are so loved. Thinking of your family and musical brother Donald Fagen and your loved ones. Straight to the stars.... My friend. You were every one of them, shining bright in my soul and so many others...Showing us all what was really possible. Pure magic."
Jason Isbell: "I was once in a band that played only Steely Dan songs. It was hard and lots of fun. RIP Walter."
Guitarist Brian Ray of Paul McCartney's band: "RIP, Walter Becker. He was a great player and one of the creators of smart pop in the '70s."
Nile Rodgers of Chic: "Very sad news. They're one of my favorite bands."
Eddie Money: "It's a shame losing Walter Becker. So many great songs. I guess time catches up with all of us. He will be missed. I love #SteelyDan."
Paul Stanley of KISS: "RIP Walter Becker. A major force in a band whose music has defied comparisons and categories. Your music lives on."
Judd Apatow: "I have played no band more often or enjoyed any music more than Steely Dan. They have always made me deliriously happy. RIP Walter Becker."
Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: "I was a very big Steely Dan fan from the first time I heard 'Do It Again' & 'Reelin' in the Years' on the radio in New Orleans when I was 'attending' Tulane. Saw 'em at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on July 5th, 1974... well, I can't even summon the words. it was a knockout show, and not like anything I'd seen before, or have seen since. Years later, Walter turned me on to what was then the best rice pudding in Manhattan. It's gone now. Thanks, Walter. Safe travels."
In response to questions on Twitter, David Crosby tweeted that Steely Dan are his “favorite band” and that he wishes he had been friends with Becker.
The statement of Recording Academy head Neil Portnow: "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. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues."
Rickie Lee Jones wrote a long appreciation in Rolling Stone. An excerpt:
"They brought an education and precision to a conversation taking place in the late Sixties of mostly long drum solos and jams. They brought jazz solos to rock, they made being funny in lyrics cool, and they made being cool more important than being handsome. They were the first college band. That's for sure. And I am nostalgic today for that feeling of all the life being before us, and not behind. All things possible, and not relinquishing to inevitability."
Fagen followed up the statement he issued Saturday by posting -- with his wife Libby Titus Fagen -- the lyrics to the song "Dead of Winter" by Mark Oliver Everett (a.k.a. E) and recorded by his band The Eels. It was inspired by E's sister's cancer. Fagen also canceled Sunday's show with his band, The Nightflyers, at The Majestic in San Antonio.
Beck became one of the first artists to perform a tribute to Becker, inserting a few bars of Steely Dan's "Josie" into "Where It's At" during his set opening for U2 in Detroit. He introduced it by saying, ""We lost somebody today. Walter Becker from Steely Dan passed away," calling him a "rock and roll hero," and announcing that they were going to "play a little something in tribute." There's footage posted on YouTube.