Saxophonist Bobby Keys had been battling liver disease cirrhosis in recent months, forcing him to pull out of the band’s Australia and New Zealand tour in October this year.
The 70-year-old Texan had previously performed with Buddy Holly, eventually making friends with the Rolling Stones in 1964, later being recruited for their 1969 album Let It Bleed.
He remained with the British band until 1974, after which time he reunited with Mick jagger and keith Richards in 1980 for their Emotional Rescue project.
Keys remained a key player on all subsequent albums, with his biggest contributions being on songs such as Brown Sugar, Can’t Hear Me Knocking and Happy.
The talented musician had also played with Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Beatles stars John Lennon and George Harrison.
His bandmates paid tribute to the star on Twitter just minutes ago, writing: ‘The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, Bobby Keys.’
They followed this post with: ‘Bobby made a unique musical contribution to the band since the 1960’s. He will be greatly missed.
This is the second tragedy to strike the Stones in 2014, with Mick Jagger’s long time girlfriend L’Wren Scott committing suicide in the spring.