This past week the music industry suffered another great loss. Walter Becker of Steely Dan passed away at the age of 67. Becker was more than just a member of the band, he co-founded the band with Donald Fagen and the face of the music industry was never the same. They played their way to the top of the charts and into the hearts of people world wide with their polished sound and understand melodies.

Becker, who resided in Maui, was unable to attend the usual summer festivals in Los Angeles and New York where the band has been a staple of the line up for years now. The decision to skip the festivals this year was announced by Fagen with the reasoning that

“Walter’s recovering from a procedure and hopefully he’ll be fine very soon.”

As Steely Dan, Mr. Becker and Mr. Fagen changed the vocabulary of pop in the 1970s with songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and “Peg.” Mr. Becker and Mr. Fagen were close collaborators on every element of a song: words, music, arrangement. “We think very much the same musically. I can start songs and Walter can finish them,” Mr. Fagen said in a 1977 interview.

The world of music has suffered a few great losses this year as musical icons of all genres reach the end of their road. We are grateful to live in a time where we get to witness firsthand their musical genius and thankful that they have shared their gift with the world.