Jeff Beck, one of the greatest rock and roll guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, has died suddenly after contracting bacterial meningitis, his family said. He was 78. Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and won eight Grammys. He just completed a tour with Johnny Depp to promote their album 18.
“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 representative said in a statement. “His family asks for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
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Beck was a guitar god, considered one of the best players in the U.K. during the 1960s. In 1965, he joined The Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton. Although he was a member of the band for less than two years, he was an instrumental performer on their studio album Roger the Engineer (or Over Under Sideways Downย in the U.S.) and appeared with the band in the 1966 movie Blow-Up. After Beck was fired, he formed the original Jeff Beck Group, which included Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.
During the 1970s, Beck continued to innovate with other Jeff Beck Group lineups. In 1975, he released his most famous solo album, Blow by Blow, produced by The Beatles producer George Martin. The all-instrumental album showcased his guitar work and was followed by another successful instrument album, Wired. Beck’s output slowed in the 1980s, but he was busier in the 1990s. He guest-starred on countless albums and was even the featured guitar player on the Days of Thunderย soundtrack.
In recent years, Beck made headlines for his work with Depp. They released a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation” at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdowns. He also continued recording and touringย with Depp, even amid the actor’s defamation case with Amber Heard. Beck also recorded two tracks with Ozzy Osbourne that appeared on Osbourne’s 2022 album Patient Number 9.
Beck’s albums were not always commercial hits, but music fans, especially those who belong to the Recording Academy, kept listening. Between 1985 and 2010, Beck won Grammys for Best Rock or Pop Instrumental Performance seven times. He also won the 2010 Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Imagine” with Herbie Hancock and India.Arie. Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo artist in 2009. He is survived by his wife, Sandra.
