Exploring the career of Robert Glasper saxophonist Casey Benjamin after his untimely death aged 45

Renowned saxophonist Casey Benjamin passed away at the age of 45 on Saturday, March 30, 2024. The announcement of his death was made on his Instagram account by his family. They shared a video explaining that he passed away while he was recovering from surgery.

However, the exact cause of death of The Robert Glasper Experiment member was not made public at the time of writing this article. Casey Benjamin's family added that they were yet to get all the information with regards to his death on Saturday.

“We have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and Casey’s esteemed music community. Casey stayed true to the art of his music, and the energy of his spirit will live on in eternity,” the statement added.

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Casey Benjamin was known for his signature work on the alto and soprano saxophone

The Grammy Award winner was born in Queens, New York in 1978. He was passionate about playing the saxophone since a young age and studied at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Casey Benjamin performed with multiple local jazz groups and New York legend Arto Lindsay after graduating high school. In the late 1990s, he collaborated with Robert Glasper before joining The Robert Glasper Experiment in 2004.

The Robert Glasper Experiment comprised Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge, Robert Glasper, and Benjamin. The musical group has won consecutive Grammy Awards for their Black Radio and Black Radio 2 albums.

Benjamin was most popularly known for his signature work on the alto and soprano saxophone. However, the musician also experimented with synths, keys, and a vocoder (an instrument used to resynthesize musical notes).

He spoke about his passion for music in a 2019 All About Jazz interview and discussed what it meant to him.

"When it comes to music, I tend to be a loner. There's so many musicians that just sound like each other... I always wanted to stay to myself in some sort of way, because I felt that it would be the most organic way to play music," Benjamin said.

Numerous music industry legends like Lady Gaga, Nas, Arcade Fire, Kendrick Lamar, and Solange, among others, collaborated with Casey Benjamin.

Apart from being part of the Robert Glasper Experiment, Casey Benjamin founded the funk band Heavy with Nicole Guiland. The New York-based musician also toured with rock band Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump.

Following Casey Benjamin’s passing, Robert Glasper released a statement describing the former as "one of the most gifted and talented beings ever." Glasper was among the many musicians and fans who paid tribute to Benjamin after the latter's family announced his death.

“He was the epitome of what it means to be unique and one of a kind. The true meaning of a genius at his craft,” Glasper added.

Glasper also described Benjamin as a brother.

The Robert Glasper Experiment’s electric bass player Derrick Hodge also took to Instagram to share a tribute thanking Benjamin for being an inspiration and a “light” for him.

The musical group’s drums player Chris Dave, also took to his official Instagram page to share a signboard that paid tribute to Benjamin.

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Tributes pour in as the beloved saxophonist passes away

Casey Benjamin's family shared an Instagram post announcing the musician's death. They also added a link to Memorial Source where many fans and musicians paid tributes to Benjamin.

Tributes pour in as the saxophonist passes away (Image via Memorial Source)

Tributes pour in as the saxophonist passes away (Image via Memorial Source)

Tributes pour in as the saxophonist passes away (Image via Memorial Source)

Tributes pour in as the saxophonist passes away (Image via Memorial Source)

Tributes pour in as the saxophonist passes away (Image via Memorial Source)

In the Instagram post, Benjamin's family noted that further information about the musician's death and memorial service will be added to Memorial Source's link. Details regarding the funeral arrangement and memorial service were not made public at the time of writing this article.