Jeff Beck has died at the age of 78, his family have confirmed.
Born Geoffrey Arnold Beck in Wallington, Surrey, the British musician quickly developed a love for Rock and Roll as a child and built his first guitar as a teenager.
The musician rose to fame as part of the Yardbirds, where he replaced Eric Clapton, before going on to form the Jeff Beck group alongside singer Rod Stewart.
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Beck’s family confirmed the sad news on his official Twitter page.
The statement read: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” the statement said.
“After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
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Beck famously redefined guitar music in the 1960s, and was an undeniable influence in genres such as heavy metal, jazz-rock and even punk.
Speaking candidly in 2009, when he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time, Beck said he doesn’t care about breaking rules when creating a new sound.
He said: “I play the way I do because it allows me to come up with the sickest sounds possible.”
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“That’s the point now, isn’t it? I don’t care about the rules.
“In fact, if I don’t break the rules at least 10 times in every song, then I’m not doing my job properly.”
Speaking about how he built his own guitar, the eight-time Grammy winner told Rock Cellar Magazine: “The guy next door said, ‘I’ll build you a solid body guitar for five pounds. Five pounds, which to me was 500 back then [so] I went ahead and did it [myself].
“The first one I built was in 1956, because Elvis was out, and everything that you heard about pop music was guitar. And then I got fascinated. I’m sure the same goes for lots of people.”
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Since the news of his passing, Tony Lommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath wrote on Twitter: “Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player — there will never be another Jeff Beck.”
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan penned: “RIP Jeff Beck, 78. One of the greatest guitarists in rock history.”
Fans have also flooded Twitter to also share their tributes to the musical legend.
One social media user wrote: “So sad! The world lost a great musician!”
Another penned: “Heartbroken over #JeffBeck. So lucky I, starting at age 14, got to see him, perform many times in my life. Nobody played a rock guitar sound more expressively than Jeff.”
While a third added: “RIP Jeff – A guitar genius and an inspiration to so many players who could never hope to match his unique ability.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
