David Sanborn, David Bowie collaborator, famous Jazz saxophonist, dead at 78

David Sanborn is no more.

Jazz saxophonist and a six-time Grammy Award winner, who collaborated with Stevie Wonder and David Bowie on classic records, died at the age of 78.

The musician's death was announced in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) via his official account, revealing the death to be May 12.

The cause of the death was reported to be due to complications from prostate cancer.

“It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications,” his account shared in a statement.

According to his account, he had been battling prostate cancer since 2018, but he just felt healthy enough to start doing live performances again, with dates set through 2025.

Citing health concerns, he announced last month that he was postponing a number of gigs in Virginia scheduled for May.

For the last weeks I’ve been dealing with unbelievable pain in my spine that prohibited me from walking, let alone playing my horn,” he wrote in a statement.

“We were finally able to diagnose the issue as two stressed fractures in my spine. Last week I underwent an unexpected spinal surgery. The doctors assure me the procedure was a success, but recovery is 6 to 8 weeks of doing nothing, including not playing my horn.”