Fans were shocked by the news of Walter Becker’s passing, but the band’s other main member, Donald Fagen, who is continuing to perform with Steely Dan and in his solo career, could hardly have been taken by surprise. Fagen was recently asked about his bandmate’s health in an interview.
“Walter was pretty ill for, maybe, at least five years,” Fagen told the Orillia Packet & Times. “He was dealing with some serious health problems, which he was valiantly fighting. But it caught up with him after a while.”
Donald Fagen Illness
Fagen did not provide information on the sickness that ultimately claimed Becker’s life on September 3, 2017. Fagen, who is on tour with Steely Dan till the end of October, said that he already feels a great void whenever he performs in front of an audience without Becker.
“During the soundcheck, we used to consult on the setlist every night,” Fagen said in the interview. “And now, I feel really unprepared. I’m just trying to figure it out myself. I’ll ask some of the other players in the band, but he had a certain way of looking at it that I really miss.”
Since Becker’s death, Fagen has had a difficult time of it himself. Fagen postponed the rest of his solo tour two days after announcing a new tour with the Steely Dan band and ten days after Becker’s death, claiming an unexplained illness. Fagen had been on the road with the Night Flyers, his second band, until the 24th of September.
When Becker skipped Steely Dan’s high-profile summer appearances at the Classic West and Classic East stadium concerts, fans began to wonder what was wrong. Fagen, along with the rest of Steely Dan, performed during that period despite Becker’s illness, and Fagen made no public statement about it.
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Donald Fagen Illness: Cancels Solo Shows
Due to sickness, Donald Fagen has had to cancel the final four shows of his North American solo tour. According to Pollstar, impacted Fagen & The Nightflyers shows took place in Portland (Oregon) on September 12th, Seattle (Washington) on September 13th, Saratoga (California) on September 15th, and San Francisco (California) on September 16th.
Shows ” ” should note that “email should note that “email should note that “email in’s “en.” For the remaining dates, returns can be made at the place of purchase. No facts regarding Fagen’s illness were given with the cancellations. Fagen and his band will still perform on September 23 and 24 at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Yokohama, Japan.
The keyboardist recently postponed a September 3 performance at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX, due to the death of Walter Becker, his longtime Steely Dan bandmate. Becker died at the age of 67 from causes that were not disclosed.
The news of Fagen’s health problems comes on the heels of this week’s announcement that Steely Dan will be embarking on their first official tour since Becker’s death with a string of fall performances across North America.
Two weeks’ worth of performances will kick off in Thackerville, Oklahoma, on October 13 and conclude in National Harbor, Maryland, on October 25.
