Jeff Beck Wiki, Biography
American actor Johnny Depp is grieving the loss of his longtime friend and collaborator, Jeff Beck. In a statement issued to People magazine, a source close to the 59-year-old star said he is “totally devastated” by Beck’s death and stood by him, along with other rock stars, before his death.
“They had a very close friendship, they were extremely close, and he grew even closer last summer when they were on tour together. The illness came on very quickly and everything has deteriorated rapidly in the last two weeks. Johnny is still processing this news. He’s devastated.”
Beck and Depp were frequent collaborators and had bonded over their passion for music. The late guitarist passed away on January 10 at his home in Surrey, England, after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis.
Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck’s friendship backstage at a 2017 concert
According to Mirror UK, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck first crossed paths in 2017 at a backstage concert. During a concert in 2022, the latter introduced his friend to the crowd and said:
“He came knocking on my dressing room door about five years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing ever since.” Over the years, Depp and Beck have collaborated several times, the first in 2020 when they released a cover of John Lennon’s 1970s song Isolation.
In 2022, the duo, who have been described as “musical soulmates”, released an album together, titled 18, on July 15, which included original songs along with some covers. In 2019, the duo took the stage at a charity festival hosted by Eric Clapton where they performed a cover of Isolation.
Last year, Beck and Depp performed on stage together again. While the latter was awaiting the verdict in the libel trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, he joined the late artist at a concert in England.
Once again they performed Isolation along with two other covers: Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Venues on this UK tour included Sheffield, Gateshead and London amongst others. Depp was not present in court at the time of his verdict, which was announced in the United States.
Furthermore, Depp and Jeff Beck have also released a music video for their song This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr. At the time, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor stated through a statement:
It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I now have the privilege of calling my brother.”
The announcement of Jeff Beck’s death was made by his family via his Twitter account on January 11. Various personalities including Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Rod Stewart, Joe Perry, Jimmy Page, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Brian May, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley paid tribute to the late on Twitter.