Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has died suddenly at the age of 78, a statement from his representatives has confirmed.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” the statement read. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Beck rose to fame with The Yardbirds, whom he joined in 1965, replacing Eric Clapton. Although he remained in the band for only 20 months, the band recorded most of their Top 40 hits with the guitarist, including ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ and ‘Shapes Of Things’.
After making one album with the outfit – 1966’s ‘Roger The Engineer’ – Beck was sacked after consistently going AWOL on tour in the US. After being fired, he formed the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and more.
The Jeff Beck Group released four albums – ‘Truth’ in 1968, ‘Beck-Ola’ in 1969, ‘Rough And Ready’ in 1971, and 1972’s ‘Jeff Beck Group’ – before disbanding in the early ‘70s. In 2019, Beck and Stewart reunited on stage at the Hollywood Bowl for what was billed as “their most in-depth concert in over 35 years”.
Prior to joining The Yardbirds, he made appearances in bands such as Screaming Lord Sutch And The Savages and Nightshift.
Beck had recently embarked on a tour with Johnny Depp following the pair releasing a collaborative album, ’18’, in July 2022.
This is a developing story and will be updated
The post Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has died, aged 78 appeared first on NME.