Some of the world’s biggest names are paying tribute to British guitar phenom Jeff Beck following his death aged 78 on Wednesday.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who rose to prominence with The Yardbirds, died “suddenly” after contracting bacterial meningitis, his representative said.
Among the A-listers paying their respects was Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who rushed to Twitter to share a message about the late musician.
“With the death of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitar players in the world. We will all miss him so much,” he tweeted.
Jagger’s bandmate Ronnie Wood also paid tribute, tweeting, “Now Jeff has gone, I feel like one of my band of brothers has left this world, and I’m going to dearly miss him. I’m sending much sympathy to Sandra, his family, and all who loved him. I want to thank him for all our early days together in Jeff Beck Group, conquering America.”
Beck and Wood formed “The Jeff Beck Group” alongside singer Rod Stewart in 1967. In a follow-up post, Wood wrote that as a band, they broke “all the rules.”
“It was fantastic, groundbreaking rock ‘n’ roll!” he wrote. “Listen to the incredible track ‘Plynth’ in his honour. Jeff, I will always love you. God bless.”
Stewart also mourned Beck’s death on social media, writing that the musician “was on another planet.”
“He took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since,” the “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” hitmaker tweeted.
“He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything. RIP.”
Elsewhere, fellow rocker Ozzy Osbourne was among the first to pay his respects to Beck.
“I can’t express how saddened I am to hear of @JeffBeckMusic’s passing. What a terrible loss for his family, friends & his many fans,” the Black Sabbath frontman tweeted.
“It was such an honor to have known Jeff & an incredible honor to have had him play on my most recent album, #PatientNumber9. Long live #JeffBeck.”
Osbourne’s former bandmate Tony Iommi also paid tribute on Twitter, saying he was “totally shocked” to discover the sad news.
“Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player – there will never be another Jeff Beck,” he wrote. “His playing was very special & distinctively brilliant! He will be missed. RIP Jeff -Tony.”
Nile Rodgers, whose friendship with Beck spans decades and saw him produce his “Flash” album in 1985, said the world lost “one of the greatest guitarist [sic] of all time.”
“He gave me so much!” Rodgers shared on Instagram.
Beck’s former Yardbirds bandmate Jimmy Page took to Instagram to pay his respects, writing, “The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.”
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour tweeted that he was “devastated to hear the news of the death of my friend and hero Jeff Beck, whose music has thrilled and inspired me and countless others for so many years.”
“Polly’s and my thoughts go out to his lovely wife Sandra. He will be forever in our hearts,” he added.
Kiss bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons shared their respective tributes on Twitter, with Stanley tweeting, “WOW. What awful news.”
“Jeff Beck, one of the all time guitar masters has died,” he went on. “From The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group on, he blazed a trail impossible to follow. Play on now and forever.”
Meanwhile, Simmons wrote, “Heartbreaking news to report the late, great Jeff Back has sadly passed. No one played guitar like Jeff. Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness. RIP.”
The Beach Boys’ co-founder Brian Wilson called Beck a “genius guitar player.”
“I’m so sad to hear about Jeff Beck passing,” Wilson tweeted. “Jeff was a genius guitar player, and me and my band got to see it close up when we toured with him in 2013. One of the highlights we did was “Danny Boy” – we both loved that song. Love & Mercy to Jeff’s family.”
The eight-time Grammy winner is survived by his wife Sandra.