Who was Alto Reed? Bob Seger writes heartfelt tribute to friend and bandmate who died at 72

Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band member Alto Reed who played sax in the band for half a century has died at the age of 72 after battling with colon cancer. The news of his death was confirmed by his family and they said that the musician had been around family in his last moments. Bob Seger also posted a tribute for his 'lifelong friend and bandmate' on his official Facebook page.

Cause of Alto Reed's death

While confirming the news of his death, Reed's family said, "Last night, under the light of the full moon and surrounded by family at home, our beautiful father passed gently on to the next realm. Our hearts are deeply broken by this enormous loss but also filled with gratitude as we reflect on his legacy and how incredibly lucky we‘ve been to get to call such a special guy, dad. He led an extraordinary life, marked by passion, determination, and dreams; an action-packed adventure filled top to bottom with love, magic, dear friends, family, and unspeakable joys. The stuff of legends, really."

They further added, "His skillfulness, dedication and brilliance as an artist and performer made him a hero not only to us, but to thousands of others, if not millions. He lived for the stage and most importantly, his role for nearly 50 years in the Silver Bullet Band with his musical family; Bob, Craig, Chris, and so many other talented musicians who played alongside him. We are truly comforted in knowing that his spirit will shine brightly on through the music that he has left behind, and the impression that he’s had on so many souls in concert."

The statement from Chelsea and Victoria, Reed's daughters, said, "in lieu of flowers we will be accepting donations in his name towards the Detroit Symphony’s Detroit Harmony Fund [dso.org], whose goal is to put an instrument in the hands of every student in the city of Detroit. We also encourage friends and fans who loved him to honor his life through regular screenings and other early prevention methods for colon cancer." And a postscript that read, "P.S. Dad, we hope you have fun, flying high over everyone playing your sax, just like you did in the '70s. This time, no wires."

Look at Alto Reed and Bob Seger's friendship on and off the stage

Seger's tribute, on the other hand, revealed more about the relationship between Reed and himself. He wrote, "It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of our lifelong friend and bandmate, Alto Reed. Alto passed away this morning at his home with his family by his side after fighting a courageous battle with colon cancer. Alto has been a part of our musical family, on and off stage, for nearly 50 years. I first start(ed) playing with Alto in 1971. He was amazing — he could play just about anything…he was funky, could scat and play tenor sax and alto sax at the same time."

Seger credited Reed for lifting them to another level with his performance in 'Turn the Page' and said, "We worked with Alto often and when we booked our first headline arena gigs at Cobo Hall, we asked him to be a part of those shows. No doubt his iconic performance on 'Turn The Page' helped lift us to another level. He has been with us on that stage virtually every show, ever since. And whether it was Turn The Page, Mainstreet, or Old Time Rock And Roll, audiences roared every time he played his part. In our band, Alto was the rock star."

Seger then spoke about the time that he spent with Reed off the stage and told how Reed had taught him sailing and had even introduced him and other bandmates to different cuisines. He wrote, "Off stage, Alto had a passion for discovering and experiencing new things. 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 had discovered. I called him Captain. He was bolder than I was. I remember visiting him in the Miami area and I found him feeding the manatees in a lagoon behind his house. Most of us feed the seagulls, Alto fed the manatees!"

Seger concluded his tribute by saying, "Alto started a family and was a fabulous father. He helped raise two talented, beautiful, intelligent young ladies. Over the years, his passion for music, life and new adventures never diminished. We loved him like a brother and will miss forever."

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