Remembering Chicago's Visionary Horn Player
Walter Parazaider, Founding Horn Player of Iconic Band Chicago, Dies at 81 After Alzheimer's Battle
Key Points
Parazaider’s daughter, Felicia Helen Parazaider, posted on Facebook that “My father, my hero, is gone” and wrote: “There’s no more pain. No more struggle… This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life.”
Chicago’s horn-rock concept began with Parazaider’s stated goal for the band: “I’m gonna make a band that will be the Beatles, with horns,” according to longtime bandmate James Pankow’s recollections.
Rolling Stone reports that after Chicago played the Whisky a Go Go in 1968, Jimi Hendrix told Parazaider, “The horns are one set of lungs. And your guitar player is better than I am.”
Parazaider’s wife JacLynn told TMZ he died in hospice “with her by his side” at 2:10 a.m., and said they were married for 59 years—“We are going to miss him for sure… We were married for 59 years, and we had 59 wonderful years.”
Walter Parazaider, the founding woodwind player for the band Chicago, died June 17 at age 81. He had battled Alzheimer's disease for six years. His wife, JacLynn, told TMZ he passed peacefully in hospice at 2:10 a.m. with her by his side.
Parazaider was the man who started it all. In 1967, he gathered friends in his Chicago apartment and said his goal was to build a band that would be "the Beatles, with horns," according to Rolling Stone. That idea became one of the best-selling rock bands in American history, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
The Apartment Meeting That Started Everything
On February 15, 1967, Parazaider called musicians Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, James Pankow, Lee Loughnane, and Robert Lamm to his apartment. That meeting launched the group first called The Big Thing. Parazaider played saxophone, flute, and clarinet. He wanted those instruments front and center — not in the background.
The idea was a risk. In 1967, rock bands were mostly guitar-driven trios or four-piece groups. A permanent three-man horn section was unusual. But Parazaider pushed for it anyway. The band moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and became the Chicago Transit Authority, later shortened to Chicago. They quickly landed a residency at the Whisky a Go Go, where they caught the attention of some of rock's biggest names.
Jimi Hendrix Said the Horns Were 'One Set of Lungs'
After Chicago played the Whisky a Go Go in 1968, Jimi Hendrix pulled Parazaider aside. He told him, "The horns are one set of lungs. And your guitar player is better than I am," according to Rolling Stone. It was a rare and stunning compliment from one of rock's greatest guitarists.
That moment captured what made Chicago different. Parazaider, Pankow, and Loughnane played as one unit. Critics called it "orchestral in scope but visceral in execution." The band went on to put 21 top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. From 1972 to 1975, they scored five consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 — an almost unmatched run in rock history.
59 Years of Marriage and Six Years of Struggle
Parazaider stepped away from touring in 2018 due to failing health. In April 2021, he publicly shared that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. JacLynn told TMZ: "We are going to miss him for sure. We were married for 59 years, and we had 59 wonderful years."
His daughter, Felicia Helen Parazaider, shared the news on Facebook. "My father, my hero, is gone," she wrote. "There's no more pain. No more struggle… This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life." The posts drew thousands of responses from fans around the world.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Loses a Founding Voice
Chicago was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Parazaider stood on that stage as one of the band's core architects. He had trained as a classical clarinetist at DePaul University and once planned a career in a symphony orchestra. Instead, he helped build something far more unexpected.
With Parazaider gone, the last living link to Chicago's original 1967 lineup grows thinner. Guitarist Terry Kath died in 1978. Drummer Danny Seraphine and bassist Peter Cetera both left the band years ago. KARK reports that Parazaider remained a legal member of Chicago even after he stopped touring. The band called him the "heart and soul" of their woodwind section in an official statement.
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