Wayne Shorter, the American jazz saxophonist and composer, has died in in Los Angeles. He was 89.

“Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a seeking spirit for the eternal future,” wrote former bandmate and longtime friend Herbie Hancock in a tribute on Twitter.

“He was ready for his rebirth. As it is with every human being, he is irreplaceable.”

A leading voice on tenor (then later, the soprano) saxophone, who played with some of the genre’s most influential bands before leading critically and commercially successful units of his own, Shorter’s playing spanned hard bop (his cut his teeth with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers) to jazz rock (Weather Report), and he maintained a long musical partnership with Joni Mitchell, appearing on 10 of her albums.

“Rest in peace to longtime Joni friend and collaborator Wayne Shorter,” Mitchell tweeted. “A visionary musician and composer, his contributions to the world of music will always be remembered.”

Drummer Jack DeJohnette wrote: “He has given us such a treasure trove of recordings of his compositions and improvisations! I feel so blessed...