Guitar legend Jeff Beck dies aged 78
The revered guitarist passed away following a short illness
Last updated 11th Jan 2023
Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has died at the age of 78, his family have confirmed.
A statement on his social media accounts confirms that Jeff Beck died yesterday (10th January) after contracting bacterial meningitis.
"On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing," the statement reads.
"After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss."
Often referred to as the “guitarist’s guitarist”, Jeff Beck influenced countless musicians and he rightfully appears in the upper echelons of greatest guitarist countdowns in media publications.
After a brief stint as lead guitarist with The Yardbirds in 1965 and 1966, Jeff Beck fronted the eponymous Jeff Beck Group and supergroup Beck, Bogert & Appice, and he also enjoyed a critically lauded solo career.
His most recent UK tour took place in the summer of 2022 where he was joined at many dates by his good friend Johnny Depp on guitar.
Beck and Depp released the collaborative album 18 last July, which featured two Depp-penned originals together with covers of tracks by Killing Joke, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, The Velvet Underground, The Everly Brothers, Janis Ian and more.
Born Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born on 24 June 1944 in Wallington in the London borough of Sutton, Jeff Beck was inspired to play the guitar aged six after hearing his hero Les Paul perform ‘How High the Moon’ on the radio.
While attending Wimbledon College of Art as a teenager, Beck cut his teeth a number of groups including Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savage.
He continued to play for a variety of groups on the London circuit and as a session musician, however he burst to the fore when he replaced Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds at the recommendation of fellow session musician Jimmy Page.
Jeff Beck delved into the jazz fusion world by the mid-1970s, particularly evident with his 1975 album Blow to Blow, which was his most successful solo album. His adventure into the jazz fusion world is largely credited after he supported fellow guitarist John MacLaughlin.
Blow By Blow was followed by several other jazz fusion releases, _Wired (1_976), as well as _There and Back (_1980).
During his lifetime, Jeff Beck was awarded 8 Grammy Awards, as well as being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist, as well as a member of the Yardbirds.