Steve Mackay, saxophonist for Iggy and the Stooges, has died at the age of 66 following a month-long fight with sepsis, according to Rolling Stone.
"Steve was a classic '60s American guy, full of generosity and love for anyone he met," Iggy Pop wrote on the Stooges' official Facebook page on Sunday. "Every time he put his sax to his lips and honked, he lightened my road and brightened the whole world. He was a credit to his group and his generation. To know him was to love him."
In September, it was reported that Mackay was in critical condition at a Daly City, California, hospital battling sepsis, an infection-triggered complication that damages organ systems, sometimes resulting in organ failure, according to the magazine.
Mackay played on three of the Stooges' studio albums and also collaborated with several other bands, including the Violent Femmes, Snakefinger and Commander Cody.
He first appeared on the Stooges' 1970 album Fun House. His initial run with the Stooges was brief, but he rejoined the group for its 2003 reunion and aftermath.
Mackay is the third member of the Stooges to pass away in the past decade, following guitarist Ron Asheton and drummer Scott Asheton.
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