The legendary guitarist, Jeff Beck passed away on Tuesday after contracting “bacterial meningitis” at 78 years old. Beck’s Representative confirmed the news saying, “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing, After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Beck was born, Geoffrey Arnold Beck and was one of the most influential guitarists in modern music, earning eight Grammy awards throughout his decades long career in music. Jeff was originally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds and later received the honor again in 2009 as a solo artist. He appeared as a guest artist on dozens of albums, and worked with Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, and many more. Beck also released 17 of his own albums and over 20 singles.
When Ozzy Osbourne heard of the news he tweeted, “I can’t express how saddened I am to hear of @JeffBeckMusic’s passing. What a terrible loss for his family, friends & his many fans. It was such an honor to have known Jeff & an incredible honor to have had him play on my most recent album, #PatientNumber9. Long live #JeffBeck.”
Beck had spent his summer touring along with Johnny Depp in Europe after the release of his final album, “18.” His final album along with Depp had been worked on for roughly three years and included covers of the Beach Boys, John Lennon and Velvet Underground.
Beck spoke of the album in an interview stating, “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity, We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too.”
While Depp stated about the album, “It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother.”
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