Legendary jazz saxophonist Henderson dies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Four-time Grammy winning tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, long one of jazz insiders' best-kept secrets, died Saturday of heart failure following a long bout with emphysema. He was 64.

"His heart just failed on him," said his sister, Phyllis Henderson, from Lima, Ohio, Saturday night.

Henderson stopped playing publicly more than a year ago due to his health problems.

Henderson's lyrical style, often said to be reminiscent of the legendary Stan Getz, brought him critical acclaim.

"He was one of the most inventive saxophone players," said Sonny Buxton, a former jazz club owner in San Francisco who booked Henderson at Milestones in the mid-1980s.

"You could hear roots coming out of Lester Young, Stan Getz," Buxton said.