Photo by Philip Cosores
Donald Fagen, founding member and vocalist/keyboardist of Steely Dan, was arrested in New York City after allegedly assaulting his wife. The NY Daily News reports that Fagen was taken into custody on Monday evening and released without bail following an arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday morning.
According to NYDN sources, the arrest stems from an altercation the 67-year-old rocker had with his 69-year-old wife of 22 years, Libby Titus. Fagen allegedly pushed Titus into the marble frame of a window in their E. 92nd Street. The criminal complaint says that the incident caused Titus to experience “bruising and swelling to her right arm, as well as substantial pain.”
Titus herself has had a long career in music, becoming a longtime writing partner with Levon Helm and mothering his child, Amy Helm. She would later work with Dr. John before meeting Fagen in 1987. They were married in 1993.
Fagen is being charged with assault in the third degree as well as second degree harassment. The assault charge, a misdemeanor, is punishable in New York by up to one year in prison plus probation. First time offenders rarely see jail, and the fact that Fagen was released without bail indicates he won’t be harshly punished. The harassment charge, meanwhile, is a violation punishable by up to a $250 fine.
