Stars including Beach Boys songwriter Brian Wilson, Joan Jett, Keith Richards and U2’s The Edge have all paid tribute to late guitar legend Les Paul.
The musician-turned-guitar innovator died on Thursday at the age of 94 following a battle with pneumonia.
Former Guns n’ Roses rocker Slash was the first to mourn the loss, calling Paul his “friend and mentor.”
Now tributes have begun pouring in from the rest of the music industry.
Wilson has credited Les Paul with sparking his interest in guitars and the multi-track recording system that gave the Beach Boys their signature ‘stacked vocal’ sound, while Jett adds in a statement, “(He was a) genius inventor, musical innovator, and a wonderful person. Without the advances he pioneered, the recording sciences and the electric guitar would have been left years behind. I will miss him so much.”
Rolling Stones star Richards adds, “Wow! All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent.”
The Edge has also paid tribute to the guitar hero, calling him a “true renaissance man.”
He says, “Les Paul disproves the cliché that you can only be famous for one thing. His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on Rock and Roll will never be forgotten.”
Bon Jovi star Richie Sambora, Kiss frontman Paul Stanley and renowned guitarist Joe Satriani have also expressed their sadness at Paul’s passing.
(c) 2009 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.
