Jeff Beck was a legendary British guitarist who has died at the age of 78, his family confirmed in a statement posted to Beck’s official Twitter page on January 11, 2023.
His cause of death was bacterial meningitis, according to the family’s statement.
According to TMZ, Beck was well enough to perform with Johnny Depp in shows recently.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2009, wrote on its website, “His urgent, in-your-face guitar was so expressive that he didn’t need a singer.”
The Hall of Fame wrote: “Double-inductee Jeff Beck is a visionary, an innovator and a true virtuoso. He built his first guitar at age 15 and learned the instrument inside and out before mastering everything from heavy metal to jazz.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Beck Died ‘Peacefully’ After ‘Suddenly Contracting Bacterial Meningitis,’ the Family’s Statement Says
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 family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.
The Beck family statement said that Beck’s illness was sudden.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” the Twitter statement read.
“After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
The family’s statement was also posted on Beck’s website.
The website had recently published a series of upcoming UK tour dates for Beck.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, bacterial meningitis “is an infection of the membranes (meninges) that protect the spinal cord and brain. When the membranes become infected, they swell and press on the spinal cord or brain. This can cause life-threatening problems. Meningitis symptoms strike suddenly and worsen quickly.”
What causes it? Bacterial meningitis “is an infection of the membranes (meninges) that protect the spinal cord and brain. When the membranes become infected, they swell and press on the spinal cord or brain. This can cause life-threatening problems. Meningitis symptoms strike suddenly and worsen quickly,” John Hopkins reports, adding, “Experts don’t always know why meningitis happens. Some people get it when their immune system is weak or they’ve recently been sick. A head injury may also increase risk.”
Beck Was the Lead Guitarist for the Yardbirds in the 1960s
According to Britannica, Beck was born Geoffrey Arnold Beck on June 24, 1944, in Wallington, Surrey, England. He was an “English rock guitarist whose fast intricate playing influenced the development of the heavy metal and jazz-rock genres and made him one of the most respected guitarists in rock music,” Britannica wrote.
Beck was the lead guitarist of the Yardbirds group in 1965, and then founded the Jeff Beck Group, “featuring vocalist Rod Stewart and bassist Ron Wood,” Britannica reported. “Flash (1985), produced by Nile Rodgers, was Beck’s most commercial release.”
“Jeff Beck has never been shy about speaking his mind through his music,” Beck’s website biography reads. “For more than 50 years, the Grammy-winning guitarist has expanded rock’s sonic vocabulary with an inventive style of playing that defies categorization.”
The website bio says that Loud Hailer was Beck’s “first new album in six years,” noting that he is a “Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.”
His new album is “packed with topical lyrics that touch upon his concerns about the future. Loud hailer — another name for a megaphone — is the perfect symbol for the 11 tracks,” the website bio says.
“I really wanted to make a statement about some of the nasty things I see going on in the world — greed, lies, injustice — and I loved the idea of being at a rally and using this loud device to shout my point of view,” Beck says on his website.
READ NEXT: The Surviving Roommate Police Say Saw the Idaho College Student Killer