This inaugurated a tradition of long talks with Steve which continued until very recently. In the early days when we still shared rooms, Steve was my roommate. His high point with the Femmes was composing the beautiful sax line for I Held Her In My Arms, a part that has been played hundreds of times around the world not only by Steve but by Pete Balestrieri, Blaise Garza and many others. He was always observant of other musicians’ performances and had encouragement and comments that helped our development. One thing that was constant was Steve’s generosity. He was a credit to his group and his generation. Every time he put his sax to his lips and honked, he lightened my road and brightened the whole world. Steve was a classic ’60s American guy, full of generosity and love for anyone he met. Iggy Pop wrote the following on the Iggy and the Stooges Facebook page: While an official cause of death is not known, Mackay was admitted to a Daly City, CA hospital in early September where he was treated for sepsis. Steve Mackay, the saxophonist who played with the Stooges along with a wide range of other artists, has died at the age of 66.
