đź”— Share this article The iconic guitarist Steve Cropper, member of Booker T and the MGs, has passed away at the age of 84 Steve Cropper was part of the in-house studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax Records. Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with the seminal soul group Booker T & the MGs, has left us at the age of 84. The artist, who contributed to and collaborated on writing the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and Wilson Pickett's In the Midnight Hour, succumbed this past Wednesday in the city of Nashville. Considered among the greatest backing bands in the history of soul music, the group Booker T. Jones and the MGs was the resident studio band of the influential Memphis label Stax and is primarily known for their 1962 instrumental track Green Onions. Cropper also joined the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd act The Blues Brothers in the late 1970s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man. "Steve was a deeply admired musician, songwriter, and producer whose profound talent inspired countless people around the world," his family said in a statement. "While we grieve the loss of a family man and friend, we take solace knowing that Steve will live forever through his music," they added. A cause of death was not released at this time. A friend, Eddie Gore, recalled he was with Cropper recently in Nashville, where the guitarist was developing fresh material. "He's such a kind human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure." Steve Cropper, right, with artists Sheryl Crow and Eddie Floyd. An Illustrious Journey Ranked the runner-up for guitarist of all time by a British music magazine in 1996, Cropper first found employment at Stax in 1961 at the age of 20. A year later, the MGs came together, consisting of keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was succeeded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964. The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. "I've always seen myself as a player who focuses on rhythm," Cropper remarked in a past interview. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They refuse to play the same riff twice." In addition to being a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he helped write Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood. According to his official biography, he was "a part of virtually every record put out by Stax from the fall of 1961 through 1970". "We would truly spend marathon sessions in the studio," Cropper noted in an interview. "I think we had nearly 20 artists on the roster, so we had a very hectic schedule."