a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock B次元官网网址榥B次元官网网址� roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar playerB次元官网网址檚 guitar player, has died. He was 78.

Beck died Tuesday after B次元官网网址渟uddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,B次元官网网址� his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. The location was not immediately known.

B次元官网网址淛eff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player B次元官网网址� there will never be another Jeff Beck,B次元官网网址� Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath wrote on Twitter.

Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

B次元官网网址淛eff Beck is the best guitar player on the planet,B次元官网网址� Joe Perry, the lead guitarist of Aerosmith, told The New York Times in 2010. B次元官网网址淗e is head, hands and feet above all the rest of us, with the kind of talent that appears only once every generation or two.B次元官网网址�

Beck was among the rock-guitarist pantheon from the late B次元官网网址�60s that included Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice B次元官网网址� once with the Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazineB次元官网网址檚 list of the B次元官网网址�100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.B次元官网网址�

Beck played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd, Buddy Guy He made two records with Rod Stewart B次元官网网址� 1968B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭ruthB次元官网网址� and 1969B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏eck-OlaB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� and one with a 64-piece orchestra, B次元官网网址淓motion & Commotion.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever, as long as you donB次元官网网址檛 have too much of it. ItB次元官网网址檚 got to be in balance. I just saw Cirque du Soleil, and it struck me as complete organized chaos,B次元官网网址� he told Guitar World in 2014. B次元官网网址淚f I could turn that into music, itB次元官网网址檚 not far away from what my ultimate goal would be, which is to delight people with chaos and beauty at the same time.B次元官网网址�

Beck career highlights include joining with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to create the power trio that released B次元官网网址淏eck, Bogert and AppiceB次元官网网址� in 1973, tours with Brian Wilson and Buddy Guy and a tribute album to the late guitarist Les Paul, B次元官网网址淩ock B次元官网网址榥B次元官网网址� Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul).B次元官网网址�

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in Surrey, England, and attended Wimbledon Art College. His father was an accountant, and his mother worked in a chocolate factory. As a boy, he built his first instrument, using a cigar box, a picture frame for the neck and string from a radio-controlled toy airplane.

He was in a few bands B次元官网网址� including Nightshift and The Tridents B次元官网网址� before joining the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing Clapton but only a year later giving way to Page. During his tenure, the band created the memorable singles B次元官网网址淗eart Full of Soul,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a ManB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪hapes of Things.B次元官网网址�

BeckB次元官网网址檚 first hit single was 1967B次元官网网址檚 instrumental B次元官网网址淏eckB次元官网网址檚 Bolero,B次元官网网址� which featured future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and future Who drummer Keith Moon. The Jeff Beck Group B次元官网网址� with Stewart singing B次元官网网址� was later booked to play the 1969 Woodstock music festival but their appearance was canceled. Beck later said there was unrest in the band.

B次元官网网址淚 could see the end of the tunnel,B次元官网网址� he told Rolling Stone in 2010.

Beck was friends with Hendrix and they performed together. Before Hendrix, most rock guitar players concentrated on a similar style and technical vocabulary. Hendrix blew that apart.

B次元官网网址淗e came along and reset all of the rules in one evening,B次元官网网址� Beck told Guitar World.

Beck teamed up with legendary producer George Martin B次元官网网址� a.k.a. B次元官网网址渢he fifth BeatleB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� to help him fashion the genre-melding, jazz-fusion classic B次元官网网址淏low by BlowB次元官网网址� (1975) and B次元官网网址淲iredB次元官网网址� (1976). He teamed up with Seal on the Hendrix tribute B次元官网网址淪tone Free,B次元官网网址� created a jazz-fusion group led by synthesizer player Jan Hammer and honored rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album B次元官网网址淐razy Legs.B次元官网网址� He put out B次元官网网址淟oud HailerB次元官网网址� in 2016.

BeckB次元官网网址檚 guitar work can be heard on the soundtracks of such films as B次元官网网址淪tomp the Yard,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淪hallow Hal,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淐asino,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淗oneymoon in Vegas,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭wins,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淥bserve and ReportB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淟ittle Big League.B次元官网网址�

BeckB次元官网网址檚 career never hit the commercial highs of Clapton. A perfectionist, he preferred to make critically well-received instrumental records and left the limelight for long stretches, enjoying his time restoring vintage automobiles. He and Clapton had a tense relationship early on but became friends in later life and toured together.

Why did the two wait some four decades to tour together?

B次元官网网址淏ecause we were all trying to be big bananas,B次元官网网址� Beck told Rolling Stone in 2010. B次元官网网址淓xcept I didnB次元官网网址檛 have the luxury of the hit songs EricB次元官网网址檚 got.B次元官网网址�

Beck is survived by his wife, Sandra.

B次元官网网址擬ark Kennedy, The Associated Press