(photo credit: Annie Leibovitz)
From AP, via The Washington Post:
VEGAS — ‘King of the Blues’ legend B.B. King dead in Las Vegas at age 89, his attorney says.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
It was made public on May 2 that the blues guitar virtuoso was receiving hospice care at his home in Las Vegas.
Condolences to his family, friends and fans.
From wikipedia:
B.B. King (born Riley B. King; September 16, 1925 - May 14, 2015[1]) was an American blues musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time (previously ranked No. 3 in the 2003 edition of the same list),[3] and he was ranked No. 17 in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time".[4] According to Edward M. Komara, King "introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed."[5] King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. King was also inducted into 2014 class of the R&B Music Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of Blues", and one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King).[6][7][8] King is also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at 250–300 concerts per year until his seventies. In 1956 it was noted that he appeared at 342 shows. King continued to appear at 100 shows a year through the end of his career.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/...
See B.B. King perform The Thrill is Gone, Montreux, Switzerland, 1993:
http://www.youtube.com/...
And what B.B. himself said was possibly his best recording ever - Sing Sing Prison, 1972:
http://www.youtube.com/...