đź”— Share this article Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84 Steve Cropper formed the backbone of the in-house studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the renowned guitarist with the iconic band Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The musician, who contributed to and co-wrote Otis Redding's Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, died on Wednesday in Music City, Nashville. Considered among the greatest supporting groups in soul music, the group the MGs was the core musical unit of the historic Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their hit cover of Soul Man. "Steve was a beloved artist, writer, and producer whose profound talent impacted generations around the world," his family expressed in a release. "While we mourn the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they noted. A reason for his passing was not immediately known. A colleague, Eddie Gore, stated he was with Cropper on Tuesday in Nashville, where the guitarist was in the process of creating new music. "He's such a wonderful human," Gore said. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, pictured on the right, with peers Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper began working at Stax Records in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising organist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was honored by inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always thought of myself as a rhythm guitarist," Cropper explained in a past interview. "I take pride in the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same lick twice." Not only was he a guitarist, Cropper was a productive songwriter, and besides Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to historical accounts, he was "a part of virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970". "We would literally spend long days in the studio," Cropper once recalled. "I think we had a roster of artists we worked with, so we had a pretty busy schedule."