Jim Beard, who is best known as the keyboardist for Steely Dan, has reportedly passed away at the age of 63 due to complications from a sudden illness.
Beard’s rep confirmed the news of the musicians passing to Variety in a statement. It was revealed that Beard died in a New York hospital surrounded by his loved ones. The Steely Dan bandmates also posted a special tribute to Beard on their website.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our friend and colleague,” the post reads. “Jim Beard 1960-2024.”
Variety reports that during his successful music career, Beard had participated in various global tours for Pat Metheny, McLaughlin and Shorter, and Steely Dan. He joined Steely Dan as the group’s keyboardist in 2008.
He had been traveling and performing with the group for the Eagles’ Long Goodbye tour. His final performance with Steely Dan took place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Jan. 20.
Beard was nominated for seven Grammy Awards during his career. He won in 2007 for his feature performance on Some Skunk Funk with the Brecker Brothers. He also recorded six solo albums, with his last album being Show of Hands in 2013.
Jim Beard is survived by his son and daughter, Victor and Caitlin Beard, as well as by his mother, Sarah, sister Nancy Canale, and brother, Bill Beard.
Jim Beard Once Said He First Became a Musician When He Was Four Years Old
During a 2011 interview, Jim Beard opened up about when he first started to become interested in music.
“I can remember being 4 years old. My Dad was kind of a technological nerd, he built our television from a kit, he built our stereo from a kit,” he explained. “We had a weird stereo, one of the speakers was in a cabinet on the living room floor and the other was on the ceiling on the other side of the room.”
“But when I was young, my idea of a good time was just to lay on the floor in front of the speaker and listen to records. Anything from…..a lot of it was the Herb Albert records…”
Jim Beard also said that he started classical lessons when he was six years old. He had the same teacher for about 12 years and was entered in competitions. He went on to receive a music degree from Indiana University.
“After that, I world on a cruise ship for a year , with the intention of saving money to move to New York. But I didn’t save any money! And I moved to New York anyway.”