( CNN ) -- Saxophonist Clarence Clemons , a defining musical influence behind the sound of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band , died Saturday of complications from a stroke . He was 69 . Clemons died at a hospital in Palm Beach , Florida , where he was undergoing treatment after suffering a stroke last Sunday , said a spokesperson for Springsteen and the E Street Band . His fifth wife , Victoria , and other family members were at his side when he died , according to the spokesperson . `` His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years , '' Springsteen said in a statement posted on the band 's website . `` He was my great friend , my partner , and with Clarence at my side , my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music . His life , his memory , and his love will live on in that story and in our band . '' The saxophonist 's influence can be heard throughout Springsteen 's musical evolution , including such early hits as `` Born to Run '' and `` Thunder Road . '' His influence could also be seen in Springsteen 's live shows , where the two men routinely bantered about their beginnings , their life on the road and their music . The story of their first meeting is musical lore . Depending on who was telling the story and when it was being told , the two men first met at the Stone Pony music venue in Asbury Park , New Jersey , where Springsteen was performing . As the story goes , Springsteen was performing when howling winds blew the door off . Springsteen was startled by the 6-foot , 4-inch towering figure of Clemons , who invited himself onstage to play . `` From the first time we saw each other , we stayed together for two weeks , '' Clemons told CNN in 2009 while promoting his pseudo-memoir `` Big Man : Real Life & Tall Tales . '' `` We were inseparable , '' he said . Clemons was born in 1942 in Virginia and began playing the saxophone by age 9 . He moved to New Jersey , where he worked as a youth counselor , before joining Springsteen 's E Street Band . Clemons , whose fusing of blues , jazz and funk with rock on the saxophone put him in demand , recorded with a number of artists over the years , including Aretha Franklin and the Grateful Dead . In 1985 , Clemons and Jackson Browne scored a duet Billboard hit with `` You 're a Friend of Mine . '' Clemons , who was dubbed `` Big Man '' by friends because of his height , made his last musical appearance in May when he took the stage with Lady Gaga on Fox 's `` American Idol '' to perform `` The Edge of Glory . '' Clemons also worked as an actor , appearing in TV shows such as `` The Wire '' and `` The Simpsons . '' He also appeared in films , including `` New York , New York . '' As word of his death spread Saturday night , fans , musical contemporaries and even politicians took to Twitter and Facebook to remember Clemons . `` A very sad night for Springsteen fans & all of NJ -- thx Clarence Clemons for 40 years of magical & soulful music . He will be missed forever , '' tweeted New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie . The Stone Pony , which marked the musician 's passing on its web site with a standalone photo of Clemons , announced it would open early Sunday to serve as a gathering spot for fans to remember the saxophonist . Springsteen 's Facebook page was inundated with an outpouring of emotion from fans . `` RIP CC , you were the heart and soul of the E Street Band . Thank you for all the music , you got me through some dark days . Blessings on your journey , '' one post read . `` I just ca n't imagine that space on stage not being occupied by the big man . We are all better people having been moved by your huge music . Now go play with Louis , Miles and the rest and have a blast , '' read another . CNN 's Denise Quan and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report .
Bruce Springsteen : ` ` His loss is immeasurable '' Clemons died at age 69 at a Philadelphia hospital , a week after suffering a stroke . The saxophonist 's voice can be heard on U2 's ` ` Born to Run '' His last public performance was in May when he took the stage with Lady Gaga .