Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the legendary horn-driven rock band Chicago, died on June 17, 2026, according to his wife, JacLynn Parazaider. He was 81.
JacLynn Parazaider confirmed her husband’s death in a statement, saying he died at 2:10 a.m. while in hospice care, six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “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 told the outlet.
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
Born in Maywood, Illinois, Parazaider began on the clarinet before helping launch Chicago in its namesake city in 1967, alongside friends bassist Peter Cetera, guitarist Terry Kath, keyboardist Robert Lamm, trumpeter Lee Loughnane, trombonist James Pankow and drummer Danny Seraphine. The group first performed as The Big Thing, then as Chicago Transit Authority, before shortening the name to simply Chicago. Putting 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 work 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.
Chart Success and Hall of Fame
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”
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.” Warner Music Group, which released several of Chicago’s most successful albums, also issued a tribute, describing Parazaider as “a true master of woodwind instruments” whose playing was integral to the band’s arrangements. The label called him one of Chicago’s longest-serving members and said it was grateful for “his noteworthy role in the history of popular music.”
Drummer Tris Imboden, who served as Chicago’s drummer from 1990 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 away 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 as the visionary who imagined a different kind of rock band.