Steely Dan keyboardist Jim Beard dead at 63

Jim Beard, a solo artist and touring keyboardist for Steely Dan, has died. He was 63.

Beard’s rep told The Post in a statement that Beard died March 2 in a hospital in New York City surrounded by loved ones from complications due to a sudden illness.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our friend and colleague. Jim Beard 1960-2024,” the band wrote on its website.

He was a member of Steely Dan since 2008 and had been touring recently with the band on the Eagles’ current “Long Goodbye” tour.

Beard’s last performance with the band happened on Jan. 20 in Phoenix, AZ. 

Born on Aug. 26, 1960, in Ridley Park, Penns., Beard worked with jazz legends Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, and many others, and also released six solo albums.

He also taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University, the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York, and the Sibelius Academy in Finland.

He is survived by his son and daughter, Victor and Caitlin Beard, and by his mother, Sarah, sister Nancy Canale, and brother, Bill Beard. 

Steely Dan’s current lineup includes Keith Carlock (drums), Freddie Washington (bass), Jon Herington, (guitar), Walt Weiskopf and Roger Rosenberg (saxes), Michael Leonhart (trumpet), Jim Pugh (trombone), and vocalists Carolyn Leonhart, Catherine Russell, LaTanya Hall and Cindy Mizelle.