Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici passed away last Thursday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York after a long bout with melanoma. He was 58, and is survived by his wife, Maya, his son, Jason, and his daughters, Harley and Madison. Federici had played with the band leader in various Boss incarnations including the late 1960s heavy rock outfit, Child, with stints in other Springsteen-led bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and, finally, the legendary E Street Band. "Danny and I worked together for 40 years," said Springsteen in a statement posted on his website, "he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...we grew up together."

Federici, like Springsteen, called New Jersey his home after being born in Flemington in 1950. Initially jamming at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, the duo formed a lifelong bond. Although the keyboardist was much more reserved than his equally talented friend, nicknamed "Phantom Dan" by the Boss, Federici asked the burgeoning songwriter and guitarist to join their band, which included soon-to-be original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez. As Springsteen's star rose to greater heights in the mid-1970s, Federici was joined by other notable bandmates including saxophonist Clarence Clemons, guitarist "Little Steven" Van Zandt, drummer (and Conan O'Brien band leader) Max Weinberg, pianist Roy Bittan, and bassist Gary Tallent. Veteran guitarist Nils Lofgren and singer Patti Scialfa (and future Boss wife) would join the E Street Band in the mid-1980s, before Springsteen would put the band on a decade-plus hiatus before their triumphant reunion in the late 1990s.

Besides organ, Federici mastered the accordion and electronic glockenspiel. He played guest spots on the stage or on record with Graham Parker, Joan Armatrading, Gary U.S. Bonds and Van Zandt. His legacy with Springsteen, however, will perhaps be most fondly remembered, including his accordion fills on "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, the organ solo on Springsteen's first top 10 hit, "Hungry Heart" featured on The River, and his closing organ solo on "You're Missing," from 2002's The Rising. Federici had taken a leave of absence from the E Street Band last November, returning this past winter for his final run of shows, including his last gig on March 20 in Indianapolis. The Federici family and the E Street family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. Bruce Springsteen's concerts scheduled for Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa have been rescheduled at the same venues as follows. Existing tickets will be honored and more specific information is available on Ticketmaster and venue sites:

Tampa: Tuesday, April 22

Orlando: Wednesday, April 23

Ft. Lauderdale: Friday, May 2