"It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of our lifelong friend and band mate, Alto Reed. Alto passed away this morning at his home with his family by his side after fighting a courageous battle with colon cancer.
"Alto has been a part of our musical family, on and off stage, for nearly 50 years. I first starting playing with Alto in 1971. He was amazing. He could play just about anything…he was funky, could scat, and play tenor sax and alto sax at the same time.
"We worked with Alto often and when we booked our first headline arena gigs at Cobo Hall [in Detroit], we asked him to be a part of those shows. No doubt his iconic performance on 'Turn the Page' helped lift us to another level. He has been with us on that stage virtually every show, ever since. And whether it was 'Turn the Page,' 'Mainstreet', or 'Old Time Rock and Roll,' audiences roared every time he played his part. In our band, Alto was the rock star. - Bob Seger