The strange disease that took the life of rock legend Jeff Beck

He was 78 years old, one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, and had just finished a tour with Johnny Depp. Jeff Beck passed away at 78.

Jeff Beck died at his family home in East Sussex, The Guardian reported. Jeff Beck's sudden death was caused by bacterial meningitis.

The British guitarist's family confirmed the harsh news, asking for "privacy while they process this tremendous loss."

To put Jeff Beck's death in perspective, meningitis affects around 8,000 people every year in the UK. Only 10 to 15% of them lose their lives. Jeff Beck died from a rare disease.

To see how beloved Jeff Beck was among famous musicians, one just needs to take a look at social media and see who said farewell to him.

One of the first was Gene Simmons, of the band Kiss. He laments the guitarist's death and says that there was "no one like him."

Photo: @genesimmons / Twitter

Tony Iommi, the guitarist of Black Sabbath, refers to Beck as "a genius", assuring that "there will never be another Jeff Beck. His playing was very special and distinctively brilliant!!!"

Photo: @tonyiommi / Instagram

For his part, Joe Perry of Aerosmith pointed out that "to see [Beck] play was to hear the ultimate 6-string alchemist create magic in a world of its own."

Photo: Instagram - @joeperry

Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones reminded the world that he and Jeff Beck started together. "I want to thank him for all our early days together in the Jeff Beck Group, conquering America for the first time," he said. Looking back, we can say with certainty that they both succeeded.

Photo: @ronniewood / Instagram -

Jeff Beck was a musical genius to the point that his name has a place of honor in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, along with stars like Elvis Presley, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Jimi Hendrix.

Rolling Stone magazine placed the six-time Grammy winner among the five best guitarists in the world.

Born in Wallington, South London, in 1944, Jeff Beck became known as the guitarist for the 'Yardbirds', where he replaced Eric Clapton.

Supported by Jimmy Page (in the photo), Jeff Beck was able to change the style of the group and lead them to become the pioneers of acclaimed British psychedelia.

Songs like 'Shape of the Things', 'Over Under Sideways Down', or 'Heart Full of Soul' are the history of 60s music.

All of this was achieved in merely two years. That's how long the Yardbirds lasted. After that, Jeff Beck launched The Jeff Beck Group. It was successful but not as momentous as the Yardbirds.

Throughout his career, Jeff Beck combined blues with rock, experimented with jazz fusion, and showed that he was a virtuoso. He also came to recognize, though, that he should never have left rock where he felt most comfortable and performed best.

Starting in the 80s, he played with people like Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, Phil Collins, and Eric Clapton. In his private life, he had several marriages before he settled down on the sixth try with Sandra Cash (photo) in 2005.

His last adventure was in the company of his friend Johnny Depp, with whom he recorded the album '18'. Together they toured the United States until November 2022. Just two months later, Jeff Beck died.