Bobby Keys, longtime saxophonist for the Rolling Stones, has died at the age of 70. Michael Webb, keyboardist for Keys’ band The Suffering Bastards, told the Nashville Scene that the saxophonist “had been battling cirrhosis and passed away at his home in Franklin early this morning.”

Keys career began at the age of 15 when he played in his neighbor Buddy Holly’s touring band. Over the years, he would go on to work with an assortment of legends like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Marvin Gaye, Pete Townshend, Joe Cocker, John Lennon, Barbara Streisand and B.B. King, just to name a few. Throughout his career, he developed a reputation for stellar musicianship, as well as for his wild off-stage antics.

However, Keys was best known for his 50-year relationship with the Rolling Stones, who he first met in 1964. The saxophonist played on many of the band’s greatest albums ( Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, among others), and he developed a lasting friendship with guitarist Keith Richards. Keys also joined The Stones for most of their tours from 1970 until earlier this year, when he was replaced by Karl Denson after taking medical leave before the band’s Australia/New Zealand run.

Keys’ autobiography Every Night’s A Saturday Night, which features a forward by Richards, was released in 2012.