Steely Dan co-founder and guitarist Walter Becker dies aged 67

Walter Becker, the guitarist, bassist and co-founder of the rock group Steely Dan, has died. He was 67.

Walter Becker, left, and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan in Los Angeles. Picture: AP Photo/Nick Ut, File

His official website announced his death on Sunday with no further details.

Donald Fagen released a statement in remembrance of his Steely Dan bandmate.

Fagen said he intended to keep the music they created together alive as long as he could with the Steely Dan band.

Becker had missed performances earlier in the summer in Los Angeles and New York.

Fagen later told Billboard that Becker was recovering from a procedure and hoped that he would be fine soon.

From Queens, New York, Becker met Fagen when they were students at Bard College in 1967 and founded the band in 1972.

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001