King of the Blues BB King dies aged 89

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Legendary guitarist, singer and songwriter had been hospitalised earlier this month

BB King: 1925-2015.
BB King: 1925-2015. (Image credit: Gail Mooney/Corbis)

BB King, who was often called The King of the Blues, has died aged 89, it's been confirmed.

King, who began his recording career in 1949, was a hugely influential guitarist, with his instantly recognisable smooth, lyrical style style influencing whole generations of players.

He was voted the second greatest blues guitarist of all time by MusicRadar users, though many would argue that he was actually the greatest.

It's being reported that King died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas on Thursday. We'll have more on this story soon.

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Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.