Andrew Woolfolk, the legendary saxophonist whose screaming solos for the genre-defying group Earth, Wind & Fire would reliably bring the house down throughout the 1970s, died on Sunday, according to a bandmate. Woolfolk was 71. Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey announced Woolfolk’s death on Instagram. Without going into detail, Bailey said that Woolfolk had been “ill” for more than six years. “Great memories,” Bailey wrote. “Great Talent. Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling.” Woolfolk joined Earth, Wind & Fire in 1972, going on to help cut some of the group’s most iconic records, including “September,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and “Reasons.” As the band’s original nine-man lineup began to shift, Woolfolk took several hiatuses to work on other musical projects, but continued to return to play with the group until 1993. He later collaborated with artists like Deniece Williams and Stanley Turrentine, and toured with Phil Collins. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his bandmates. On stage that night, Woolfolk blew the roof off of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel by performing his solo from the hit 1975 single “Shining Star.”
