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Rousseau, Eugene Ellsworth Eugene Ellsworth Rousseau, whose career grew from playing saxophone as a teenager in Chicago-area dance clubs to performing and educating classical saxophonists across five continents, died peacefully on August 26 in Bloomington, Indiana. He was 92. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and mentor, he will be missed for his warmth, humor, and music making. Ask virtually any student of saxophone if they know of Eugene Rousseau, and you will learn the unmistakable influence he has had on the expansion of the saxophone as a medium of classical music and artistic expression. Recognized as one of the great saxophonists of the world since his 1965 Carnegie Hall debut, the legendary saxophonist Marcel Mule of France described Rousseau as "a brilliant saxophonist and distinguished artist," and critics the world over have echoed Mule's praise.