Riley B. King, the legendary guitarist known as B.B. King, died Thursday night in Las Vegas at the age 89. His daughter, Patty King, told CNN he died while in home hospice care after suffering from dehydration two weeks ago.
A native of Mississippi, he was responsible for bringing blues music into the mainstream and was dubbed "king of the blues" for more than six decades, across two centuries.
He began his career in the 1940s, initially playing to exclusively black audiences, but his undeniable talent and style was later embraced by a broader fanbase. With his beloved Gibson ES-355 named "Lucille" in hand, he fused together both jazz and blues to become an international treasure.
Once ranked as the third greatest guitarist of all time behind Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman by Rolling Stone, he influenced the generation of rock and blues musicians who came after him including Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, U2, Steve Miller and many more.
He toured relentlessly (at least 100 concerts a year) well into his '80s and was honored with many awards in his lifetime including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award among other Grammys, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Blues Foundation Hall of Fame inductions, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
King was born on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation in Mississippi. As a child, he sang in church choirs and learned basic guitar chords from his uncle, a preacher. In his youth, he busked on street corner to make money. He enlisted in the Army during World War 11 but was released because he held an essential home-front occupation. In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis and embedded himself in a music scene full of aspiring black performers. His cousin, blues icon Bukka White, taught King the art of the blues.
He later became a radio DJ, where he took the name B.B. for short, and got his first big break in 1948 on Sonny Williamson's Memphis radio show. His ascent continued, and in 1951, he earned his first hit with "Three O'clock Blues," which stayed on the charts for four months.
Last year, he began to show signs of slowing down after living for decades with Type II diabetes. In October, he fell ill and cancelled the remainder of his tour.
A number of artists have taken to social media to mourn the icon's death.
Sad to hear B.B. King has left us. I loved collaborating with him, loved his music, & his spirit. He changed music forever. God bless him.
— Brad Paisley (@BradPaisley) May 15, 2015
BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one. #RIP #BBKing pic.twitter.com/YvZYH8hyJE — Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) May 15, 2015
God bless BB King peace and love to his family Ringo and Barbarax — Ringo Starr (@ringostarrmusic) May 15, 2015
BB King a dear friend and inspiration to me.... Posted by Eric Clapton on Friday, May 15, 2015
This morning, I come to you all with a heavy heart. BB King was the greatest guy I ever met. The tone he got out of that guitar, the way he shook his left wrist, the way he squeezed the strings... man, he came out with that and it was all new to the whole guitar playin' world. He could play so smooth, he didn't have to put on a show. The way BB did it is the way we all do it now. He was my best friend and father to us all. I'll miss you, B. I love you and I promise I will keep these damn Blues alive. Rest well. All my love, Buddy A photo posted by Buddy Guy (@therealbuddyguy) on May 15, 2015 at 1:09am PDT
My friend and ledgend BB King passed.. I'm so so sad....he was so great to me... We've lost the King..... My love and prayers to his family. — RICHIE SAMBORA (@TheRealSambora) May 15, 2015
When I heard B.B. King for the first time he was singing The Thrill Is Gone. The way he played & sang brought tears to my eyes. #RIPBBKing — Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) May 15, 2015
Devastated by the passing of BB King. My favorite blues guitarist. & a truly wonderful man. RIP BB. pic.twitter.com/LUw5Ny76n6 — Slash (@Slash) May 15, 2015
Love Live The King. #BBKing #KingoftheBlues pic.twitter.com/RJh7SqBBa6 — Queen Latifah (@IAMQUEENLATIFAH) May 15, 2015
My heart goes out 2 BB King's family today & all who loved him. A great friend & amazing gtr player leaves us peacefully. We will miss u BB. — Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) May 15, 2015
RIP BB King. Thank you x pic.twitter.com/siBoFGRuEo — James Bay (@JamesBayMusic) May 15, 2015
RIP BB KING A photo posted by Sean Diddy Combs (@iamdiddy) on May 15, 2015 at 2:56am PDT
Please leave your remembrances in the comments section below.
© 2025 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.