CLEVELAND -- If you've been to a Cleveland Indians game, there's a good chance you've encountered Maurice Reedus, Jr. At the very least, you've heard him.
Reedus, who was often seen playing his saxophone in the Gateway District after Indians games, has passed away at the age of 65.
'The Sax Man,' as many of us knew Reedus, was a flamboyant character, often dressed from head-to-toe in red, his favorite color. His family says he would always call their dog 'Lassie' even though her name was 'Sugar Ray.'
"He loved going downtown," says his sister Andrea Reedus-Pride. "If he was sick, he'd go downtown. He loved the people. Literally the city of Cleveland probably have all of my phone numbers. Everyone who ever took a picture with him, they probably sent it to me."
There were many things about 'The Sax Man' that most Clevelanders did not know until Joe Siebert directed "Sax Man," a documentary that explains the life of Reedus beyond his nights spent sitting along Prospect Avenue serenading Indians fans with the Spiderman theme song after games.
Through the documentary, which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2014, we learned that Reedus was the son of a Grammy Award-winning sax player. 'The Sax Man' himself was a member of a Motown band called 'Sly, Slick, and Wicked' in the 1970s and performed in stadiums in front of tens of thousands of people.
"He sacrificed a lot to follow his passion and heart, and every day, he got up and he did what he loved doing. And he may have not had all the accolades that should have followed that," says his sister Teresa Taylor-Ware.
The sisters of the 'Sax Man,' say their brother was happy performing in the streets of Cleveland and the documentary about his life was a success.
When Sibert heard about Reedus' death, he told us, "It was a gut punch, just because we were hoping to get back with him and celebrate with him."
Reedus had been having some heart issues and spent about three months in the hospital last summer, but did recover. He had just moved into his new apartment and was excited to paint his whole bathroom his favorite color: red.
The family says they've received text messages and phone calls from many people. "We appreciate that 100%," says Maurice's sister, Sharon Reedus-Sanders. "That's kind of keeping us above water right now."
Maurice's sisters hope he'll not only be remembered for his music as 'Sax Man,' but also for his kind heart.