Bruce Springsteen's Keyboard Player, Danny Federici Dies

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluidkeyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...wegrew up together."

—Bruce Springsteen

Danny Federici, for 40 years the E Street Band's organist and keyboard player, died this afternoon, April 17, 2008 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City after a three year battle with melanoma.

The Federici family and the E Street family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. A web site for the Fund is being established and we'll post its link when it is on line.

Danny Federici, the keyboardist whoshaped popular melodies as part of Bruce Springsteen's E StreetBand, died yesterday in New York, the Associated Press reported,citing a notice on Springsteen's official Web site. He was 58.

Often introduced as ``Phantom Dan'' by his venerable bandleader, Federici won acclaim for his accordion work on ``4th ofJuly, Asbury Park (Sandy)'' on Springsteen's second album andhis organ solo on Springsteen's first top-10 hit, ``HungryHeart,'' AP said. Also noted is his work on the 9/11-inspiredsong ``You're Missing'' on the album ``The Rising'' in 2002.

Born in Flemington, New Jersey, Federici met Springsteen inthe 1960s, the news service said. By 1969, he played with hisfriend in a band called Child. The two also played in the JerseyShore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and theBruce Springsteen Band.

Federici, who had battled melanoma, last performed withSpringsteen and the band in a March 20 show in Indianapolis, theAP said. The band has since postponed several concerts.

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.