Clarence Clemons, the burly saxophone player who played a crucial role in shaping Bruce Springsteen’s early sound, died on Saturday, six days after suffering a stroke at his Florida home. He was 69. “It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away,” Springsteen said on his website, adding the cause was complications from Clemons’ stroke last Sunday. “His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years,” Springsteen added. Clemons, dubbed the “Big Man,” started working with Springsteen in 1971 and was a charter member of the backing group that came to be known as the E Street Band. His gritty, evocative saxophone solos powered such notable Springsteen songs as “Born to Run,” “Jungleland,” “Prove It All Night,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” and “Badlands.”
