{"id":2017,"date":"2026-06-17T21:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2017"},"modified":"2026-06-17T21:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:37:24","slug":"walter-parazaider-co-founder-of-chicago-dies-at-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2017","title":{"rendered":"Walter Parazaider, Co-Founder of Chicago, Dies at 81"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWalter Parazaider, co-founder, saxophonist and flautist in the rock band Chicago, has died following a battle with Alzheimer\u2019s, the band confirmed on Wednesday. He was 81. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cChicago is heartbroken at the sad news of Walter Parazaider\u2019s passing this morning,\u201d the band said in a statement on Wednesday. \u201cWe extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and countless Chicago fans who are all grieving his loss today. A Rock & Roll band with horns was Walt\u2019s idea. He put the band together and they rehearsed in the basement of his mother\u2019s home. He is also the one who did the hard work to book shows for the young, unknown band, performing top 40 covers at local bars in and around Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tParazaider first helped form the group in 1967, back when the band was first called The Big Thing. He played on two dozen Chicago albums from 1967 through 2014, and he performed live with the band as well until retiring due to health issues back in 2018.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the band suggested, Parazaider was a key part of the group\u2019s sound, with the Chicago\u2019s jazzy horn section arguably its signature feature. Parazaider\u2019s playing is fully on display on the band\u2019s biggest hits including \u201cSaturday in the Park\u201d and \u201c25 or 6 to 4.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Parazaider, Chicago became one of the most distinct and prolific bands of their era, signing with Columbia Records and dropping 10 albums in the \u201970s alone. They received critical acclaim early as Chicago Transit Authority, and the group\u2019s eponymous debut album would subsequently go double platinum. They changed their name again for their sophomore effort Chicago, <\/em>which earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year. <\/p>\n

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\n\tThe group earned their first number one song in 1976 with the smash \u201cIf You Leave Me Now,\u201d which also won the band its first Grammy award, for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals. The band remained active for decades after, and they found massive commercial success in the early \u201980s with \u201cYou\u2019re The Inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe group was officially inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2016. <\/p>\n

\n\tParazaider\u2019s daugther, Felicia Parazaider, posted in emotional tribute to her father on Facebook on Wednesday as well, saying that she couldn\u2019t be there when her father officially passed but that \u201che went peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThank you for loving my father, even if you didn\u2019t personally know him,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI know that many of you loved him. I\u2019m in shock and disbelief and yet not at all. This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life. And I\u2019m so grateful that my dad is not suffering anymore. I love you poppy, my Pal. You coloured our world. God bless you, you dear soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe are forever grateful for his contributions,\u201d the band wrote on Wednesday. \u201cPerhaps his greatest gift was bringing people together. This amazing music may have never been heard had it not been for Walt\u2019s vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Tom Dreesen, Stand-Up Comic and Sinatra\u2019s Opening Act, Dies at 87<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walter Parazaider, the co-founder, saxophonist and flautist in rock band Chicago, has died at 81 after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1215,147,39],"class_list":["post-2017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-chicago","tag-music","tag-obituaries"],"yoast_head":"\nWalter Parazaider, Co-Founder of Chicago, Dies at 81 - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2017\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Walter Parazaider, Co-Founder of Chicago, Dies at 81 - 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