{"id":246874,"date":"2026-06-17T14:32:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/walter-parazaider-cause-of-death-chicago-founding-member-was-81\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:32:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:32:05","slug":"walter-parazaider-cause-of-death-chicago-founding-member-was-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/walter-parazaider-cause-of-death-chicago-founding-member-was-81\/","title":{"rendered":"Walter Parazaider Cause of Death: Chicago Founding Member Was 81"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We have tragic news to report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/06\/oliver-tree-cause-of-death-singer-social-media-star-was-32\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the world of music<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the iconic rock band Chicago, has died at the age of 81 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>News of Parazaider\u2019s passing was confirmed by his wife, JacLynn, who revealed that he died early Wednesday morning while receiving hospice care. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"774\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-1024x774.jpg\" alt=\"Inductee Walter Parazaider of Chicago performs at the 31st Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on April 8, 2016 in New York City. \" class=\"wp-image-557332 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-2048x1548.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-960x725.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-1080x816.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-1200x907.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-519937354-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inductee Walter Parazaider of Chicago performs at the 31st Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on April 8, 2016 in New York City. <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Theo Wargo\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She was by his side when he passed away.<\/p>\n<p>While his name may not have been as recognizable as some frontmen of his era, Parazaider played a crucial role in shaping the sound of Chicago, one of the most successful rock bands of all time.<\/p>\n<p>The woodwind musician helped found the group in 1967. <\/p>\n<p>Before becoming known simply as Chicago, the band performed under the names The Big Thing and Chicago Transit Authority.<\/p>\n<p>Parazaider was a key member of the band\u2019s celebrated brass and woodwind section alongside fellow founding members Lee Loughnane and James Pankow.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chicago - If You Leave Me Now (Official Audio)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-9_d-sFhmRM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Over the decades, he contributed to some of Chicago\u2019s biggest hits, including \u201c25 or 6 to 4,\u201d \u201cSaturday in the Park,\u201d and \u201cIf You Leave Me Now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The band\u2019s unique blend of rock and horn-driven arrangements helped sell more than 100 million records worldwide and earned Chicago a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/06\/17\/walter-parazaider-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TMZ<\/a>, Parazaider was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s disease six years ago. His wife said he fought the illness bravely before ultimately succumbing to it this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had put up a good fight with Alzheimer\u2019s and unfortunately it ended tonight,\u201d JacLynn told the outlet. \u201cWe are going to miss him for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also reflected on the couple\u2019s nearly six decades together, noting that they had been married for 59 years.<\/p>\n<p>Parazaider retired from Chicago in 2016 after decades of touring and recording with the band. He later revealed his Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis in 2021.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chicago - Saturday In The Park (1973)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_Mnw9uiYggU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>For generations of fans, Walter Parazaider\u2019s musicianship was an essential part of Chicago\u2019s signature sound.<\/p>\n<p>Though he often stayed out of the spotlight, his contributions helped transform the band from a local Chicago act into one of the most enduring groups in rock history.<\/p>\n<p>Parazaider is survived by his wife and their daughters, Laura and Felicia. <\/p>\n<p>A memorial service is expected to be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n<p>Our thoughts go out to Walter\u2019s loved ones, friends, and fans during this difficult time.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/06\/walter-parazaider-cause-of-death-chicago-founding-member-was-81\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 2 minutes We have tragic news to report from the world of music. Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the iconic rock band Chicago, has died at the age of 81 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer\u2019s disease. News of Parazaider\u2019s passing was confirmed by his wife, JacLynn, who revealed that he died [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":246877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-246874","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}