At the age of 78, one of the best guitarists of all time, the British Jeff Beck, died. Winner of several Grammy Awards and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock’n’roll. He died on Tuesday after “contracting bacterial meningitis”, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a statement from Beck’s representatives. It was not clear where exactly he died.
The phenomenal guitarist has released albums that range from blues, rock and heavy metal to jazz fusion to a mixture of rock and electronica. He also played on the records of many other stars, including Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Roger Waters and ZZ Top.
“Jeff was a great person and an excellent, brilliant guitarist. There will never be another Jeff Beck,” Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi tweeted.
Beck entered the scene in 1965 as a member of the legendary Yardbirds. Its other members were Eric Clapton and later Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. In 1967, Beck founded the Jeff Beck Group with Ron Wood (a member of the Rolling Stones since 1974) and Rod Stewart, but it disbanded after two successful albums.
He later founded a band of the same name with other musicians. In the second half of the 1970s, he began collaborating with Jan Hammer, with whom he recorded the album There & Back in 1980.
With the death of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitar players in the world. We will all miss him so much. pic.twitter.com/u8DYQrLNB7
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) January 11, 2023
Beck’s most successful album is considered to be Flash from 1985, which also includes the instrumental Escape by Hammer, for which Beck received his first Grammy in 1986.
With the new millennium, the musician then sailed on the wave of electronics, which earned him a third Grammy for the song Dirty Mind from the album You Had It Coming (2001). Beck’s last studio album was 2016’s Loud Hailer.
In recent years, he has collaborated and performed with, among others, the actor and musician Johnny Depp. Last summer they released an album together called 18.
