New York Names Street After Steely Dan’s Walter Becker

Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker will be posthumously honored with a street co-named after him in New York. Becker died on September 3rd, 2017. He was 67.

The Walter Becker Way sign will be placed on the street where he grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. New York City Council member Karen Koslowitz of the 29th District (Forest Hills) proposed the motion to co-name Walter Becker Way by way of a legislative bill. It was approved by a full council vote on June 28th.

On October 28th, a ceremony will be held at the corner of 112th Street and 72nd Drive to unveil the signage. Friends and colleagues will pay homage to Becker at the event, which will be planned and organized by Becker’s fans.

“Walter’s fans have decades of experience holding ‘Danfests’ throughout the country,” Becker’s widow, Delia, said in a statement. “And they always find innovative and eclectic ways of celebrating. It will undoubtedly be a fun and free gathering to honor and commemorate Walter as only they can!”

In a letter published in Rolling Stone following her husband’s death, Delia revealed Becker had an aggressive form of esophageal cancer; he died just four months after the diagnosis.

“The tsunami of tributes and remembrances that have followed Walter’s passing has been deeply moving,” she wrote, thanking fans for their support. “Even his ‘Number 1 Fan’ — me — would not have predicted anything close to the depth and breadth of public expressions from those whose lives were enriched by Walter — by his talent, his kindness, and his skill at inspiring some wicked fun.”