The man behind the instrumental segment of Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, arguably the best-known sax solo in pop music, has died aged 60.

Raphael Ravenscroft, who was living in Exeter, was believed to have had a heart attack, according to local newspaper the Mid Devon Gazette.

Ravenscroft enjoyed an illustrious career as a musician and was reported to be earning almost £80,000 a year in royalties from his part in Rafferty's hit single more than 30 years after the song was released in 1978.

The saxophonist also worked with Pink Floyd - playing tenor sax in The Final Cut - Abba, Marvin Gaye and Chris Rea.

More recently, Ravenscroft worked as a session musician for artists including Duffy and Daft Punk.

But the musician's part in Baker Street was almost permanently miscredited when writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie stated that Bob Holness - presenter of TV gameshow Blockbusters - had played sax on the track instead of Ravenscroft.

The statement made in Maconie's spoof Would You Believe It column for the NME in the 1980s almost caught on - until its writer was forced to step in and correct the myth.