WISHING YOU WERE HERE

Founding Member of ‘Chicago’ Dead at 81 From Tragic Illness

Walter Parazaider suffered from Alzheimer’s for six years.

Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the rock band Chicago, died Wednesday morning from Alzheimer’s, according to his wife. “He had put up a good fight with Alzheimer’s and unfortunately it ended tonight,” Parazaider’s wife, JacLynn, said to TMZ. “We are going to miss him for sure.” The father of two founded the band The Big Thing in 1967, which became Chicago in 1969. As a saxophone player, he was a key member of the band’s brass/woodwind section, playing alongside Lee Loughnane and James Pankow, before retiring in 2016. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and died in hospice early Wednesday morning with his wife by his side. “Chicago’s horn section was untouchable because of Walter,” one user commented on a tweet posted by TMZ announcing the musician’s death. “Rest easy legend, your music lives on forever.” Parazaider leaves behind his wife JacLynn, whom he was married to for 59 years, and their two children, Laura and Felicia.