Steely Dan Sax Player Cornelius Bumpus Dies At Age 58

Saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus, known for his work with The Doobie Brothers and, more recently, Steely Dan, died Tuesday (February 3). Bumpus suffered a heart attack during a flight from New York to California, where he was scheduled to perform at the Columbia College Jazz Concert Series. The plane made an emergency landing in Kansas City to try and help him, but Bumpus died by the time the plane reached the ground, according to the Associated Press. "We know all of you join us in expressing our profound sorrow and sympathy to Cornelius' wife and family," members of Steely Dan said, posting on their website. Bumpus was 58 years old and is survived by his wife Linda and his four children. On Bumpus’ website, Linda said that her husband was "not one to call attention to himself, he would probably be appalled that the plane made an unscheduled stop… to help him." Bumpus began playing the sax when he was a child and by age 12 was already playing gigs. He’s worked with several bands in his career, most notably with the Doobie Brothers. However, his relationship with the band was soured when he and other former bandmates were sued for the use of the Doobie name. A judge ordered Bumpus and the other former band members to stop using the name in 1999. In 2000, Bumpus and his bandmates in Steely Dan won the Grammy for Album Of The Year, to the surprise of many. The commercially overlooked release, Two Against Nature, beat out albums by record industry titans Beck, Radiohead, Paul Simon and Eminem. —Andre Mihsin