Clarence “Big Man” Clemons, the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, died in Florida on Saturday at age 69, according to the New York Times. The cause of death is reported to be complications from a stroke he suffered last week. Clemons began playing with Springsteen in 1971, when the two met during a lightning storm in Asbury Park, where Springsteen was playing a gig. Clemons invited himself onstage, and the two clicked: “It was a magical moment,” Clemons has said in interviews. “We fell in love.” The saxophonist has notable solos on “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” and “Badlands.” More recently, he appeared in Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” video. The Times notes that Clemons’s “jovial onstage manner, soul-rooted style and brotherly relationship with Springsteen made him one of rock’s most beloved sidemen.” [NYT]
