(New York) Legendary British guitarist Jeff Beck, who rose to fame with the 1960s rock band The Yardbirds, died at the age of 78 from meningitis, his family announced in a statement Wednesday evening.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he passed away peacefully yesterday,” according to the statement on the musician’s official website.
Born in June 1944 in London, Jeff Beck is considered one of the best rock, hard rock, blues and even jazz guitarists of all time, alongside Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page with whom he played in the group The Yardbirds.
He had also founded at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s the hard rock group The Jeff Beck Group with singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood, before a long solo career.
“No one played guitar like Jeff,” Gene Simmons of hard rock band Kiss immediately tweeted.
His sidekick from the Black Sabbath group, Tony Iommi, also bowed to “an incredible icon, a genius guitarist. There will never be another Jeff Beck.
Singer Paul Young also said on Twitter that he was “devastated by the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck”.