In a statement released Wednesday night, Jeff Beck’s family confirmed the 78-year-old musician died of meningitis. Beck gained popularity in the 1960s with the British rock band The Yardbirds.
“We regret to inform you of Jeff Beck’s demise on behalf of his family. Yesterday, he died away painlessly after an unexpected bout with bacterial meningitis “The musician has issued a statement on his or her official website.
Jeff Beck, born in London in June 1944, is widely recognised as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, alongside Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, with whom he played in The Yardbirds.
Before embarking on a lengthy solo career, he co-founded the hard rock band The Jeff Beck Group with singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s.
