The legendary jazz keyboardist has died of cancer.

As a member of both Miles Davis’ band in the 60s and the founder of Return to Forever, jazz keyboardist Chick Corea was one of the pioneers of the jazz fusion genre. Over the course of his career, he won 23 Grammys, and was nominated over 60 times overall. Sadly, we have lost another of the classic music greats, as it was confirmed yesterday that Corea had died at the age of 79.

“It is with great sadness we announce that on February 9th, Chick Corea passed away at the age of 79, from a rare form of cancer which was only discovered very recently,” the announcement on his official Facebook page reads.

“Throughout his life and career, Chick relished in the freedom and the fun to be had in creating something new, and in playing the games that artists do,” the announcement continued. “He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, and a great mentor and friend to so many. Through his body of work and the decades he spent touring the world, he touched and inspired the lives of millions.”

.@ChickCorea Return to Forever Maestro 💔 Thank you…. pic.twitter.com/ufyEvy6rMf

— Nathan East (@NathanEast) February 12, 2021

Alongside the announcement of Corea’s passing, the announcement included a message to his fans penned by the man himself. “I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.”

“And to my amazing musician friends who have been like family to me as long as I’ve known you: It has been a blessing and an honor learning from and playing with all of you. My mission has always been to bring the joy of creating anywhere I could, and to have done so with all the artists that I admire so dearly—this has been the richness of my life.”