Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed dies of colon cancer at the age of 72

Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed has died of colon cancer at the age of 72.

“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the death of our lifelong friend and bandmate Alto Reed,” Seger, 75, said on Twitter on Thursday.

He continued: “Alto passed away at his home this morning with his family by his side after a courageous battle with colon cancer. Alto has been a part of our musical family for nearly 50 years, both on and off stage. ‘

RIP: Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band saxophonist Alto Reed has died of colon cancer at the age of 72. He played in Florida in 2011

The Night Moves performer remembered his long association with the talented musician.

“I first started playing with Alto in 1971,” Seger said. ‘He was great. He could play just about anything … he was funky, could play scat and play tenor sax and alto sax at the same time. ‘

The Old Time Rock and Roll artist recalled Reed playing alongside him in his “first headline arena performance at Cobo Hall” in Detroit, where Reed was from.

“We asked him to be a part of those shows,” Seger said. Undoubtedly, his iconic performance on Turn the Page has taken us to another level. Since then he has been on stage with us on pretty much every show … the audience roared every time he played his part. In our band, Alto was the rock star. ‘

Bob Seger said Reed’s ‘iconic turn the page performance took us to another level’

Well remembered: Detroit classic rock radio host Jim O’Brien said the musician was ‘so proud of fans and family’, adding ‘That’s all he was talking about’

Reed, whose real name was Thomas Cartmell, “had a passion for discovering and experiencing new things,” said Seger, recalling details of their adventures together.

“He taught me how to sail on Biscayne Bay, we swam with the sharks (unintentionally!), And he often introduced us to local foods and restaurants he’d discovered,” said Seger. ‘I called him captain. He was bolder than me. I remember visiting him in the Miami area and found him feeding the manatees in a lagoon behind his house. Most of us feed gulls, Alto the manatees! ‘

The Hollywood Nights artist also spoke about his friend’s personal life, saying, ‘Alto started a family and was a fantastic father’ and ‘helped raise two talented, beautiful, intelligent young ladies’ in his daughters Chelsea Reed Radler and Victoria Reed .

Seger issued a statement on Twitter on Thursday following the death of his bandmate

Icon: Seger performed in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2006

His daughters said in a statement to Detroit Free Press: “Our hearts are deeply broken by this tremendous loss, but also filled with gratitude as we reflect on his legacy and how incredibly lucky we have been to call such a special guy Dad. . ‘

Detroit classic rock radio host Jim O’Brien recalled his conversations with the musician in the newspaper.

“It was just fun talking to him – he was always so excited about what was going on,” said O’Brien. He loved it. He was so proud of fans and family. That’s all he talked about. He did so much for people in Detroit that people didn’t know about. Just a great guy. You loved hearing the joy in his voice. ‘