Clarence Clemons, Who Played on ‘Born This Way,’ Suffers Stroke

Saxophonist Clarence Clemons has suffered a stroke and is reportedly "seriously ill." Clemons is well known and widely respected in rock 'n' roll circles as a player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, a post he has held since 1972.

But the self-proclaimed "Gaga-ite" performed on a few key tracks on Lady Gaga's mega-smash 'Born This Way,' namely 'Hair,' 'The Edge of Glory' and 'Highway Unicorn (Road to Love).' It's no surprise that all of the songs that Clemons contributed to are epic, larger-than-life and display a more rock 'n' roll influence and style. Clemons also joined Gaga on stage last month when she performed a show-stopping rendition of 'The Edge of Glory' on the 'American Idol' season finale.

RollingStone, which initially reported details about how Clemons, 69, literally (and excitedly) dropped everything to fly to New York on a moment's notice to lay down his parts on 'Born This Way,' confirmed the sad news of Clemons' stroke, which he suffered at home in Florida. They had no further information on the severity of Clemons' condition.

We all send our best wishes out to Clemons, who also underwent dual knee replacement surgery and spinal fusion in the past year, in these critical hours.

Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'The Edge of Glory' on 'American Idol'