Clarence Clemons.

One Christmas, Clarence Clemons’s father bought him an alto saxophone and enrolled him in music lessons at a local college. Born January 11, 1942, in Norfolk, Virginia, he was the eldest of three children of Thelma Virginia Reid and Clarence Clemons Sr., who owned a fish market. He grew up in and around Chesapeake, Virginia. He swapped the alto for a baritone sax, then after hearing King Curtis’s R&B playing, he took up the tenor sax as his main instrument. He attended Maryland State College on a football and music scholarship, but a knee injury ended his football career.

Clemons began his professional music career playing with Jersey Shore bar bands like Norman Seldin and the Joyful Noyze, performing at venues such as the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park. In 1971, he first played with Bruce Springsteen during a lightning storm in Asbury Park, and by October 1972 he officially joined the E Street Band. As the saxophonist, he was introduced as the Minister of Soul and Secretary of the Brotherhood on the Live in New York album. Clemons appeared on every E Street Band studio album and toured extensively. After Springsteen disbanded the group in 1989, Clemons pursued acting, getting roles in The Wire, The Simpsons, Nash Bridges, and other TV shows. He also continued playing with various bands and reunited with Springsteen for multiple tours.

Clemons married five times: to Jacqueline Brinkley 1966–1978, Christina Eleonora Paula Sandgren 1981–?, Elizabeth Connell Barr 2000–2001, Yanhong Hong Meng 2004–2007, and Victoria Alexandrovna 2008 until his death. He had four sons: Clarence Clemons III, Charles Clemons, Christopher Clemons, and Jarod Clemons. He worked as a youth counselor at the Jamesburg State Home for Boys in Newark, New Jersey, before his music career. In 2008, he underwent two knee replacements and also needed spinal surgery. In June 2011, he had a serious stroke and died later that month at his home in Singer Island, Florida, at age 69. In 2012, his family filed a malpractice lawsuit against three doctors who treated his carpal tunnel syndrome, alleging they omitted medication that could have prevented his stroke.

Clemons is remembered as a defining saxophonist of the E Street Band. His tenor sound defined the band’s music. He and the band were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2012, the first group to receive the honor. His nephew, Jake Clemons, has performed with the E Street Band as a saxophonist, continuing his legacy. Clemons also appeared on television and film in guest roles. He is remembered for his saxophone solos on classics like Born to Run and Jungleland, tied to Bruce Springsteen’s greatest work.