Becker of Steely Dan fame dies

WALTER BECKER, the guitarist, bassist, co-founder and co-songwriter of the hitmaking rock band Steely Dan, died Sunday at 67.

Becker’s death was confirmed by his official website. No cause of death was given.

Becker was forced to bow out of two Steely Dan performances this summer after undergoing an unidentified procedure, said bandmate Donald Fagen, who met Becker at Bard College in 1967.

Becker (photo inset) “had the knack of a creative mimicry, reading people’s hidden psychology and transforming what he saw into bubbly, incisive art,” Fagen said in a statement.

The Queensbred Becker and Fagen wrote songs for artists like Barbra Streisand before forming Steely Dan in 1971.

They released their debut album, “Can’t Buy a Thrill,” the next year, and had several hits in the ’70s, including “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Personal and legal troubles caused the band to part ways in 1981 after seven albums together, but Steely Dan refomed in 1993.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Becker also had a brief solo career, releasing his final album, “Circus Money,” in 2008.