Jeff Beck, the British rock-blues guitar innovator, has died after a brief struggle with bacterial meningitis. He was 78 years old.
Beck was an 8-time Grammy nominee and a two-time inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His work with the Yardbirds, and his own Jeff Beck Group, was profoundly influential to generations of musicians that came after him.
His family released a statement on Wednesday:
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” Beck’s family said in a statement. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family asks for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
On social media, Beck’s fellow Yardbird and longtime friend, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, wrote:
The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.
[Via Rolling Stone]