I was on a long drive from upstate New York when I heard the news. Walter Becker was dead. Damn.

Hard to explain just how important Steely Dan was to me. They were the first band I ever loved deep down in my musical bones. They were one of those rare bands who forged friendships, simply because both sides felt that deep, hot iron forged connection to The Dan.

Walter Becker is dead. I’ll never again get to see him and Donald Fagen up on the stage, crafting their technical brilliance with note for note, spot on renditions of Reelin in the Years, Do it Again, Aja, Kid Charlemagne, Hey Nineteen, you name it. That’s what hurts the most. The finality of their excellent perfectionism.

A few things to read, if you are of such a mind:

• Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, with the announcement of Walter’s death, some terrific videos, and this quote from Donald Fagen, Walter’s partner in crime:

“Walter Becker was my friend, my writing partner and my bandmate since we met as students at Bard College in 1967,” Donald Fagen wrote in a tribute to Becker. “He was smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter. He was cynical about human nature, including his own, and hysterically funny.”

• From Rickie Lee Jones’ poignant tribute.

Walter and Donald. Walter Becker, the quiet half, the straight man to Donald Fagen’s main man. Donald the Voice, and… Walter. Walter wrote much of the music than the public realizes. As much as Donald. A true partnership. “Done up in blue print blue… It sure looks good on you… Peg.”

• From the New York Times:

Steely Dan’s musical surfaces were sleek and understated, smooth enough to almost be mistaken for easy-listening pop, and polished through countless takes that earned Mr. Becker and Mr. Fagen a daunting reputation as studio perfectionists.

And:

The music used richly ambiguous harmonies rooted in Debussy, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins, giving the songs a sophisticated core that would be widely influential across jazz and pop.

• And, perhaps my favorite piece, from The Guardian:

The death of Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker brings one of pop’s most idiosyncratic songwriting partnerships to a close. With Becker’s knotty soloing and funky bass licks paired with Donald Fagen’s organ tones and earnest, knowing croon, the pair stand alone: too literate and socially conscious for soft rock, too naff for hard, and all the better for it. Fagen will hopefully continue to perform, but either way, they leave behind a magical canon.

If you are not familiar with Steely Dan, take a listen. They are one of the strong roots of the modern music family tree. Here are two of my favorites. Walter Becker is all over this music. The first is from very early in their careers, the second, from perhaps their greatest heights of fame.

Enjoy.