Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Walter Parazaider, Chicago Co-Founder, Dies at 81

Died after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s, his family and the band described him as the architect of Chicago’s horn-driven sound.

Overview

  • His death, which occurred Wednesday, June 17, 2026, was confirmed by his wife JacLynn, daughter Felicia and Chicago’s official statement.
  • Parazaider spent five decades with the group he helped form in 1967 and retired from touring for health reasons around 2017 before publicly announcing an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2021.
  • Family members said he died in hospice with his wife at his side and that a memorial will be announced later.
  • He is credited with conceiving Chicago’s full horn and woodwind section and played signature parts on songs such as “Colour My World” and “Just You ’n’ Me.”
  • His passing reduces the band’s original membership further and underscores the end of an era for Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.