Walter Parazaider, who helped launch the horn-driven rock band Chicago in 1967 and shaped its signature sound with his saxophone and flute, died on June 17, 2026. His wife, JacLynn Parazaider, confirmed that he died at 2:10 a.m. while in hospice care, six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 81.

“He had put up a good fight with Alzheimer’s and unfortunately it ended tonight. We were married for 59 years and we had 59 wonderful years,” she said.

Parazaider’s daughter, Felicia Helen Parazaider, also shared news of his passing on social media, writing that her father went peacefully and that there was “no more pain” and “no more struggle.” Parazaider had revealed his diagnosis publicly in a 2021 statement posted to the band’s website, telling fans that he and his family had been “shocked and devastated” by the news but that he was “working hard and not going to give up.”

A radical idea: a rock band with horns

Chicago paid tribute to its co-founder in a statement shared to the band’s social media accounts, saying the group was “heartbroken at the sad news.” The band continued, “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and countless Chicago fans who are all grieving his loss today.”

Born in Maywood, Illinois, Parazaider began on the clarinet before helping launch Chicago in its namesake city in 1967, alongside friends Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Danny Seraphine. The group first performed as The Big Thing, then as Chicago Transit Authority, before shortening the name to simply Chicago. Placing a full horn section at the center of a rock band was a bold, unusual idea at the time — and it became the band’s defining signature.

Parazaider’s woodwind work helped shape some of the most enduring songs in the classic-rock canon. His saxophone powered hits such as “Just You ‘n’ Me,” while his tender flute solo on “Colour My World” became one of the band’s most recognizable moments. Chicago’s catalog of staples, including “25 or 6 to 4” and “Saturday in the Park,” remained fixtures of 1970s radio and beyond.

Over the decades, the band racked up a remarkable commercial run, scoring three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles — “If You Leave Me Now” in 1976, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” in 1982 and “Look Away” in 1988 — and topping the Billboard 200 albums chart five times. The group’s longevity and influence were recognized when Chicago was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, with Parazaider on hand to perform at the ceremony. Although the band’s lineup shifted frequently through the years, he remained a constant presence until health issues forced him from the road in 2017.

“Sorely missed”

Tris Imboden, who served as Chicago’s drummer from the 1990s through 2018, remembered Parazaider as both a friend and a brother in a statement posted to Facebook. “My dear friend and brother Walt Parazaider passed last night. To say he will be sorely missed is a huge understatement,” he wrote. “He along with Terry Kath and Danny Seraphine formed the nucleus of what later became the band Chicago.”

Parazaider is survived by his wife of 59 years, JacLynn, and his family. He leaves behind a legacy not only as a gifted woodwind player but as the visionary who imagined a different kind of rock band — one whose brass-and-reed sound has echoed across generations of music fans.