David Sanborn, Grammy-Winning Saxophonist, Dies At 78

The sax great soloed on hits like David Bowie’s “Young Americans” and James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).”

NEW YORK (AP) — David Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist who played lively solos on such hits as David Bowie’s “Young Americans” and James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and enjoyed his own highly successful recording career as a performer of melodic, contemporary jazz, has died at age 78.

A spokesperson confirmed that Sanborn died Sunday in Tarrytown, New York. The cause was complications from prostate cancer.

“The news of the loss of David Sanborn to the music world has deeply saddened me,” pianist Bob James, who collaborated with Sanborn on the Grammy-winning “Double Vision” album, wrote on Facebook. “I was so privileged to share major highlights of my career in partnership with him. His legacy will live on through the recordings. Every note he played came straight from his heart, with a passionate intensity that could make an ordinary tune extraordinary.”

Equally versatile and prolific, Sanborn enjoyed rare fame and popularity for a saxophone player. He released eight gold albums and one platinum album; sat in frequently with the “Late Night With David Letterman” band led by Paul Shaffer; and even co-hosted a show, “Night Music,” that included appearances by Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Lou Reed and many others.

“Jazz has always transformed and absorbed what’s around it,” he told DownBeat magazine in 2017. “Real musicians don’t have any time to spend thinking about limited categories.”