Guitar legend Jeff Beck dies suddenly at age 78
Jeff Beck, one of the most innovative and influential guitar gods of the 1960s’ British Invasion and the No. 5 entry on Rolling Stone’s ranking of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, has died suddenly at age 78.
The shocking news — which comes just two months after the eight-time Grammy-winner and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee wrapped his concert tour with friend Johnny Depp to promote their 2022 collaborative album, 18 — was announced Wednesday by his publicist, Melissa Dragich.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” Dragich’s statement read. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday [Jan. 10]. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born June 24, 1944, in Wallington, England, and he became fascinated with the electric guitar at age 6 after hearing Les Paul’s “How High the Moon” on the radio. During and after his stint as a student at Wimbledon College of Art, he moonlighted as a guitarist in various groups like the Nightshift, the Rumbles, and the Tridents, becoming immersed in Britain’s blues/R&B scene thanks to the influence of his friend, Rolling Stones associate Ian Stewart. It was in 1965 that another famous friend, Jimmy Page, whom Beck had first met as a teenager, recommended Beck to replace Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/guitar-legend-jeff-beck-dies-suddenly-at-age-78-233709137.html
RIP jeff beck