- Walter Parazaider, a founding member of Chicago, died on June 17, 2026, at the age of 81 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
- He helped create Chicago’s signature horn-driven sound and played saxophone and flute on classics including “Colour My World” and “Just You ’n’ Me.”
- Parazaider was with Chicago from its founding in 1967 until his retirement in 2018 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2016.
Walter Parazaider, the founding saxophonist, flutist, and woodwind player of the rock band Chicago, died on June 17 at the age of 81. His wife, JacLynn Parazaider, confirmed that he died in hospice care after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The couple had been married for 59 years.
Parazaider was best known as one of the architects of Chicago’s distinctive sound, blending rock music with a prominent horn section at a time when few major bands were doing so. As a founding member, he helped transform the group from a local Chicago-area act known as The Big Thing into one of the most successful bands in American music history. His flute work on “Colour My World” and saxophone playing on songs such as “Just You ’n’ Me” became defining elements of the band’s catalog.
The musical rise of Walter Parazaider
Born on March 14, 1945, in Maywood, Illinois, Parazaider began studying clarinet as a child and later earned a degree in classical clarinet performance from DePaul University. Inspired by the Beatles and the idea of combining rock music with horns, he brought together musicians who would eventually form Chicago, rehearsing in his mother’s basement during the band’s earliest days.
In 1967, Parazaider joined with Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, and later Peter Cetera to create the group that became Chicago. The band went on to produce a string of hits including “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “Look Away,” and many others, selling millions of records over several decades. Parazaider remained a member from the band’s inception until health issues led him to retire from touring in 2017 and formally step away from the group in 2018.
A career in the spotlight
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As a member of Chicago, Parazaider earned multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 alongside his bandmates. Fellow musicians frequently credited him as the driving force behind the band’s original concept. Following his death, Chicago noted that the idea for “a rock and roll band with horns” was his and credited him with helping bring the group together and securing its earliest performances.
Parazaider is survived by his wife, JacLynn, and their daughters, Laura and Felicia. In announcing his death, his family reflected on both his long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and the decades he spent making music. Former bandmate Tris Imboden described him as a dear friend and brother, while Chicago remembered his vision in helping create a band whose music reached audiences around the world.
