Just days after the death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, another legendary musician, Billy Joel, paid tribute to him.
Beck died on Tuesday at the age of 78 from complications of bacterial meningitis.
Joel appeared at one of his regular shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday when he spoke about Beck’s death.
Tribute: Just days after the death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, another legendary musician, Billy Joel, paid tribute to him
RIP: Beck died Tuesday at the age of 78 from bacterial meningitis
“He was a musician I’ve always loved. He was the best. Jeff Beck passed away recently,” Joel captioned the applause in a video of the show (via Billy Joel Concert Video).
“I couldn’t let the night go by without doing something from Jeff. That’s a record he did with Rod Stewart called People Get Ready,” Joel said before jumping into the song.
The song was recorded in 1985 and appeared on his eighth studio album, Flash.
Best of all: “He was a musician I always loved. He was the best. Jeff Beck just passed away,” Joel said to applaud in a video from the show (via Billy Joel Concert Video).
Couldn’t: “I couldn’t go through the night without doing something from Jeff. This is a record he did with Rod Stewart called People Get Ready,” Joel said before breaking into the song
Before the show ended, Joel and his band decided to play Going Down by Alabama State Troupers, which Beck covered on his 1972 album The Jeff Beck Group.
“We should have rehearsed that today,” Joel joked after the performance.
Beck’s family confirmed the guitarist’s death in a statement released on Wednesday.
Another song: Before the show ended, Joel and his band decided to play Going Down by the Alabama State Troupers, which Beck had covered on his 1972 album The Jeff Beck Group
Confirmed: Beck’s family confirmed the guitarist’s death with a statement released on Wednesday
“On behalf of his family, it is with deep and deep sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s death,” the statement began.
“He passed away peacefully yesterday after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis. His family requests privacy while they process this tremendous loss,” the statement concluded.
In response to the “sad news” of Beck’s death, Joel sent a statement to People, calling him “the great, virtuoso guitarist.”
Passing: “On behalf of his family, it is with deep and deep sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s death,” the statement began
Billy’s Statement: In response to the “sad news” of Beck’s death, Joel sent a statement to People, calling him “the great, virtuoso guitarist.”
“He was one of my heroes. I was fortunate enough to meet him recently and now I’m very grateful to have been able to tell him how much I admire his musical ability. This is the end of an era. RIP,” he added.
A representative for the man, regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, said Beck had been ill over the holiday period and died at a hospital near where he lived in Surrey.
Beck leaves behind his sixth wife Sandra.
Heroes: “He was one of my heroes. I was fortunate enough to meet him recently and am now very grateful to have been able to tell him how much I admire his musical ability. This is the end of an era.’ RIP,’ he added
Sick: A representative for the man, believed to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, said Beck was ill over the holiday season and died at a hospital near where he lives in Surrey