Johnny Depp is paying tribute to his late bandmate and “brother” Jeff Beck, on what would have been the legendary musician’s 79th birthday. In a post on Instagram, Depp shared an old photo of himself and Beck doing some work on a car engine. “Happy birthday my dearest brother Jeff,” the actor wrote. “You are with me, always. You are everything!!! Your fellow giant toddler… eternal love and worship.”
Beck passed away on Jan. 20, at the age of 78. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s cause of death was a bacterial meningitis infection. According to a source familiar with details of the situation, Depp was “totally devastated” by his friend’s death and “was by Jeff’s bedside” sometime before his death. The source also stated that “some other rock stars” visited as well, but did not mention specific names.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“They had a really tight friendship, they were extremely close, and he got even closer over this past summer when they were touring together,” the source went on to say, noting how Depp and Beck had been touring together in 2022. “The sickness came on really quickly and it all deteriorated rapidly in the last couple weeks.” The source finally added, “Johnny is still processing this news. He’s devastated.”
Depp recently honored Beck by playing guitar at a tribute show for the late musician. In May, Depp joined other music icons such as Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, and Ronnie Wood for an evening celebrating Beck’s life and art. In footage of the event shared by Stewart on Instagram, Depp could be seen rocking out with the A-list stars as the crowd cheers them on.
Depp had previously been writing music and performing with Beck, and the pair collaborated on an album, 18, which was released in July 2022. “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity,” Beck said in an album press release. “We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too.”
“We were going to call the album ‘Kitchen Sink’ because we threw everything in it,” Beck added jokingly. “The only game plan we had was to play songs we like and see where they took us.” He later added of the project, “We suggested songs the other might not think of. It pushed both of us out of our comfort zones. Johnny got me excited about ‘Venus In Furs,’ and I persuaded him to try ‘Ooo Baby Baby.’ Interesting things happen when you’re open to trying something different.”
