As a result, I started studying him and became a fan of Bobby Keys in my early 20s.” Decades later, when Keys could no longer tour with the Rolling Stones — he died in 2014 — Denson stepped in.

The Lubbock, Texas, native was born the same day as Keith Richards — Dec. 18, 1943 — and the Stones guitarist would often cite Keys as a soul mate and favorite musician.

Bobby Keys, longtime saxophonist for the Rolling Stones, died early on Tuesday after a long illness at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 70 years old.