Walter Becker of Steely Dan Fame Dies at 67
Born in Queens, Becker began playing with Donald Fagan while studying at Bard College in New York, and the two moved to California shortly after to form Steely Dan after working for a time as songwriters, with credits including Barbara Streisand’s “I Mean to Shine.”
The group officially dissolved after 1980’s Gaucho, but came together again 20 years later to create and record 2000’s Two Against Nature, an album that earned four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame a year later, where Fagan and Becker took the stage time to answer audience questions.
Walter Becker went under surgery earlier in July for an undisclosed reason and passed away at his home in Maui. Becker was 67.
-Taylor Wallace
