Bobby Keys, the American saxophone player who toured with the Rolling Stones for nearly 50 years and recorded on classic songs like "Brown Sugar," has died at age 70, according to Rolling Stone.
"I have lost the largest pal in the world and I can't express the sense of sadness I feel, although Bobby would tell me to cheer up," Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in a statement, according to Rolling Stone. "My condolences to all that knew him and his love of music."
Keys was born in Texas on Dec. 18, 1943 - the same day Richards was born in England. By the early 1950s, Keys was playing with Buddy Holly, Bobby Vee and others and recorded regularly at the renowned Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama, according to his bio on AllMusic.com.
He began working with the Stones in the late '60s and earned a reputation for being a hard partier - even by the Stones' wild standards. In fact, he was booted from the group in the early '70s but returned in 1989 as an on-again, off-again contributor.
He most recently played with the Stones on their current "14 On Fire" tour, but missed their recent Australian dates, according to Rolling Stone, which also reported that Keys was said to have been battling cirrhosis.
As recently as two years ago, Keys appeared to be continuing his hard-living ways.
"I've been smoking pot for over 50 years, and I never let a day go by [without smoking pot] unless I'm in jail," he told Rolling Stone in 2012. "I'm a devout pothead. I have been, will be, don't see a damn thing wrong with it except the cost. Legalize it."
