Alto Reed, Longtime Bob Seger Saxophonist, Dies at 72 Alto Reed, longtime saxophonist for Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band, has passed away from colon cancer. He was 72. "Our hearts are deeply broken by this enormous loss, but also filled with gratitude as we reflect on his legacy and how incredibly lucky we've been to get to call such a special guy, dad," Seger and Reed's daughters said in an official statement provided by Seger's publicist. "He led an extraordinary life, marked by passion, determination, and dreams come true – an action-packed adventure filled top to bottom with love, magic, dear friends, family, and unspeakable joys. The stuff of legends, really."