Tributes have continued to pour in over the demise of Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck who was confirmed dead at the age 73.
The musician’s family confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, that he died of bacterial meningitis the day prior.
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s Passing,” his family said in the statement.
“After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family asks for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
Following the news of his death, several of Beck’s longtime friends and collaborators spoke out in memory of him, including his former Yardbirds bandmate Jimmy Page. He joined Page in the English rock band in 1965, replacing Eric Clapton as guitarist.
“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,” Page wrote on Instagram.
A year after joining The Yardbirds, Beck formed his own band, The Jeff Beck Group, with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. They released two albums together: Truth and Beck-Ola.
On Instagram, Stewart — who celebrated his 78th birthday the day of Beck’s death — wrote that the beloved 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,” he wrote. “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.”
Wood, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that he feels like “one of my band of brothers has left this world.”
“I’m going to dearly miss him,” he wrote. “I’m sending much sympathy to [his wife] 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.”
In a follow-up Tweet, he 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.”
