Donald Fagen Says Walter Becker "Was Still Very Funny" on His Deathbed

Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen got to see his longtime partner Walter Becker one last time this past August before Becker's death in early September.

Fagen tells Rolling Stone's Music Now podcast that he flew back to New York on an off-day to see Fagen, who was mostly confined to the bed in his Manhattan apartment at the time. 

"And I was really glad that I went," Fagen says. "I could see he was really struggling. When I put a chair next to the bed, he grabbed my hand. It was something he had never done ever before. And we had a great talk and, you know, he was listening to hard bop – his wife had put on Dexter Gordon records. He was very weak but he was still very funny. I'm really glad I had those hours."

Becker had been in poor health for years, Fagen said, adding that he believes health issues made Becker feel isolated and sapped him of ambition to write and record new music. 

Elsewhere in the conversation Fagen confirmed that his continued use of the band name Steely Dan has more to do with appeasing promoters than anything else.

"I would actually prefer to call it Donald Fagen and the Steely Dan Band or something like that," he said.

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