Steve Cropper, the Rock & roll Hall of fame guitarist who helped form the “Memphis soul” sound on Stax Records recordings by otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Booker T & the MG.s, died on Wednesday. He was 84.

“The Cropper family announces with profound sadness the passing of Stephen Lee Cropper, who died peacefully in Nashville today at the age of 84,” his family said in a statement. A cause of death was not immediately available. “Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose remarkable talent touched millions of lives around the world.

“while we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music,” they added. “Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit and artistry will continue to move people for generations to come.”

“steve Cropper’s offerings to American music are notable but his contribution to soul and R&B music are immeasurable,” Pat Mitchell Worley, president and CEO of the Soulsville Foundation that operates the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in memphis, added in a statement. “His songwriting and guitar work shaped the very language of soul music. A gifted songwriter, producer, and musician, Cropper helped create timeless hits that continue to influence artists and people worldwide. his signature style helped define an era and cemented his legacy as one of the moast crucial guitarists in modern music history.”

as the founding guitarist in Stax’s house band during the Memphis label’s hit-making prime, Cropper played on classics like Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” Booker T. & The MG’s “Green Onions,” Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” and Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The dock of the Bay,” with Cropper also serving as co-writer on the latter three hits.

Steve Cropper Reflects on Writing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” After Otis Redding’s Death

Steve Cropper wrote the music for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” with Otis Redding, and finished the song shortly after Redding’s death in a small plane crash. Cropper finished work on the song right after Redding died. “I didn’t know we were the same age until I read an obituary,” Cropper told Rolling Stone in 2024. “I always thought Otis was older. I looked up to him as an older brother. Why? He was so wise.”

“One of the hardest things I ever had to do was mix that song,” Cropper told Rolling Stone.”I stayed up 24 hours mixing the song. The next morning I went out to the airport, went out on the tarmac and a stewardess came down to the bottom of the steps and I handed her that master.”

The Missouri-born Cropper moved to Memphis as a child,and the city introduced him to gospel music. As a teenager, Cropper co-founded the band the mar-Keys, and that group recorded the classic instrumental.