David Sanborn, Grammy-Winning Saxophonist and Jazz Icon, Dead of Prostate Cancer at 78

David Sanborn, the Grammy-winning saxophonist and influential jazz musician, died Sunday, May 12, of prostate cancer at the age of 78.

A statement posted on his social media accounts the following day confirmed the news, saying, “It is with sad and heavy hearts that we announce the loss of internationally renowned, six-time Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn.” The cause of death was listed as “a prolonged battle with prostate cancer with complications”.

According to the statement, Sanborn had been battling prostate cancer since 2018, although he continued to perform at his regular concerts “until recently.”

The legendary musician reportedly had shows lined up from this month through 2025, including shows with his acclaimed quintet scheduled for May 24 and 25 at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH, according to his Instagram page.

The message to fans ends with the words: “David Sanborn was a key figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘brought the saxophone back to Rock ‘n Roll’.”

David Sanborn performs at the June 2022 Jazz Spectacular in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Scott Legato/Getty

Sanborn was born in 1945 in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in St. Louis, Mo. At the age of 3, he was introduced to the saxophone as part of treatment for polio, and by the time he was 14, he was playing with blues icons such as Albert King and Little Milton, according to his website. After high school, the saxophonist attended Northwestern University, where he studied music, before transferring to the University of Iowa, where he then played and studied with fellow music great JR Monterose.

Later, Sanborn traveled to California to join the Butterfield Blues Band and play at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival with bandleader Paul Butterfield. He then went on to play and tour with music legends such as Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Gil Evans and The Rolling Stones.

In 1975, when he turned 30, Sanborn released his first solo album, Downloading, which is still considered a classic today. He further strengthened his career in 1979 Hidingstudio album which includes his hit single “Seduction”, which is also featured in the film American Gigolo. Around the same time, the jazz artist also began his foray into other genres like R&B, winning his first Grammy Award in 1982 for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for his song “All I Need Is You.”

David Sanborn performs at Jazz In The Gardens in March 2010 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Vallery Jean/FilmMagic

During his life, Sanborn released 25 albums – eight gold and one platinum, won five more Grammys, and even tried his hand in the television world, hosting a show Night music from 1988 to 1990. He also regularly hosted ABC’s After New Year’s Eve TV special and recorded theme songs for the shows, plus a few other songs for The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. Moreover, during the 1980s and 90s, the musician hosted his own syndicated radio program called The Jazz Show with David Sanborn.

In recent years, Sanborn joined forces with his nephew and brother-in-law to launch a YouTube series Sanborn sessions 2017. Last year, in partnership with WBGO Studios, the saxophonist started hosting his own podcast called As we speakwhere he would talk to people in the arts about their creative processes, including Kurt Elling, Sonny Rollins, John McLaughlin and Samara Joy.

For more than six decades, Sanborn has remained active in the music industry as one of the most influential artists of his time, while pioneering a sound that blends jazz, pop and R&B.

Speaking with Calm In 2017, the musician said: “I’m not so interested in what jazz is or isn’t. Gatekeepers can be quite combative, but what are they protecting? Jazz has always absorbed and transformed what is around it. It’s not like, ‘When the cha-cha disappeared, the music died.’ And the writers have a great interest in creating conflict, sometimes it seems like they don’t want to like something that everyone likes, but I never cross anybody.”

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Source: HIS Education