TARRYTOWN, NY (CelebrityAccess) — Six-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, David Sanborn, who straddled the worlds of R&B, jazz, pop, and rock, has died. He was 78.
His death was announced in a statement shared on his official website: It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6-time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018 but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently.
With a career that spans seven decades, Sanborn released 25 albums, including six gold and one platinum release. He accumulated an impressive collection of six Grammy Awards, including for Voyeur (1981), Double Vision (1986), and the instrumental album Close Up (1988), and was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2004.
A Florida native, Sanborn contracted polio in his youth and began playing the saxophone as a form of therapy to treat the effects of the disease and improve his breathing and by the time he was 14, he was performing with artists such as the late blues legend Albert King and Little Milton.
After studying music at Northwestern University, Sanborn joined The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and went on to record four albums with the group as a member of the horn section and soloist.
In 1975, he released his first solo recording, Taking Off, which reached 19 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. Future solo releases included 1979’s Hideaway, which featured the single “Seduction” which would subsequently be featured in the hit movie “American Gigolo.”
Starting in 1988, Sanborn was selected to host the jazz show Night Music, which featured films of jazz greats along with studio jam sessions and conversations with contemporary artists such as Joe Sample, Sonny Rollins, and Miles Davis, among others.
Sanborn was also a fixture on radio, hosting The Jazz Show with David Sanborn, which was syndicated at radio outlets across the U.S.
In 2017, Dave collaborated with his nephew and brother-in-law to create a new show called “Sanborn Sessions,” which was streamed on YouTube. He also launched a podcast series, As We Speak, featuring guest musical luminaries such as Sonny Rollins, and Cécile McLorin Salvant, among others.
