Blues legend B.B. King dead at 89
New York - Blues legend B.B. King, known for his soaring guitar licks and as an inspiration for generations of musicians over a decades-long career, has died at the age of 89, his daughter said early Friday.
Patty King confirmed on CNN that her father, a singular figure in music history, died late Thursday.
The guitar legend, who had kept a rigorous touring schedule until last year, had issued a statement on May 1 saying that he was entering hospice care at his home in Las Vegas.
News of King's death elicited an array of tributes from musicians across genres who credited the guitarist as a towering influence.
"BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one. #RIP," a younger star guitarist and singer, Lenny Kravitz, wrote on Twitter.
The Canadian singer Bryan Adams tweeted: "RIP BB King, one of the best blues guitarists ever, maybe the best. He could do more on one note than anyone."
Born in poverty in Mississippi as Riley B. King, the future legend learned to play a guitar that was given to him at age 12 by a plantation owner.
King mastered the instrument and he later christened his trusty guitar Lucille as he brought the blues to a mainstream audience -- and also helped chart the course of rock.
He was invited in 1968 to perform at San Francisco's Fillmore West, a haven for hippies, and a year later opened 18 US concerts for the Rolling Stones.
King's signature song was "The Thrill is Gone" -- full of the feelings of angst so often identified with the blues, interspersed with biting guitar licks.
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him the third greatest guitar legend after Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman and one ahead of Eric Clapton.
King developed his distinct style in the 1950s as he toured incessantly with his band. A natural entertainer on stage, he wove stories from the poor south with tales and jokes from his often colorful love life.
