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Esteemed musician Steve Cropper, the celebrated guitarist with Booker T and the MGs, has left us at the age of 84.

The guitar virtuoso, who contributed to and helped pen the classic song Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay and the hit track In the Midnight Hour, died this past Wednesday in Music City, Nashville.

Often cited among the best backing bands in soul and R&B, the group the MGs was the resident studio band of the historic Memphis label Stax and is best remembered for their 1962 track Green Onions.

Cropper also joined the blues revival band The Blues Brothers in the late '70s and performed on their popular rendition of Soul Man.

"Steve was a deeply admired guitarist, composer, and producer whose profound talent touched millions of lives around the world," his family said in a message.

"While we grieve the loss of a loved one and companion, we take solace knowing that Steve will be remembered through his music," they noted.

A cause of death was not released at this time.

A friend, Eddie Gore, mentioned he was with Cropper just the day before in Nashville, where the guitarist had been working on new music.

"He's such a good human," Gore commented. "We were fortunate to have him, for sure."

An Illustrious Journey

Voted the number two guitarist of all time by a music periodical in 1996, Cropper started his career at the Stax label in 1961 at the age of 20.

A year later, the MGs were formed, comprising keyboardist Booker T Jones, drummer Al Jackson and bassist Lewie Steinberg - who was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn in 1964.

The band was entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

"I've always considered myself to be a rhythm player," Cropper said in a previous conversation. "I get off on the fact that I can play something over and over, while other guitar players avoid that approach. They won't even play the same riff twice."

As well as a guitarist, Cropper was a vastly creative songwriter, and alongside Dock of the Bay and In the Midnight Hour, he co-wrote Eddie Floyd's hit Knock on Wood.

According to his official biography, he was "a part of virtually every record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970".

"We would literally spend 15 hours a day in the studio," Cropper said. "I think we had a roster of artists we worked with, so we had a very hectic schedule."