Walter Parazaider, founding member of Chicago, dies aged 81

Walter Parazaider, a co-founding member of the rock band Chicago, has died at the age of 81 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. His daughter confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. “My father, my hero, is gone. He went peacefully about 20 minutes ago,” she wrote. “There’s no more pain. No more struggle … This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life. And I’m so grateful that my dad is not suffering anymore. I love you poppy, my Pal.” Parazaider was a co-founder of the group best known for 1970s and 80s soft rock classics like If You Leave Me Now and Hard to Say I’m Sorry. He played reed instruments and saxophone with the band from its inception in the late 60s to his retirement in 2018. “He had put up a good fight with Alzheimer’s and unfortunately it ended tonight,” his wife JacLynn told TMZ . “We are going to miss him for sure ... We were married for 59 years and we had 59 wonderful years.” Born in the small town of Maywood, Illinois, Parazaider was inspired by the Beatles’ work on Revolver to start a rock band with a horn section, and helped found Chicago (initially called the Big Thing) in 1967 with Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Danny Seraphine. “A Rock & Roll band with horns was Walt’s idea,” the band said in an Instagram statement. “He put the band together and they rehearsed in the basement of his mother’s home. …