B.B. King Dead at Age 89!!!

The legendary “King of the Blues” B.B. King Dead at Age 89 late Thursday at home in Las Vegas.

CelebNMusic247.com has just gotten word that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT via his attorney, Brent Bryson.

We have this report on the man who taught us all the blues:

Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg confirmed the death.

King was known for his scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals, which made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues. The King of the Blues was also known to bring chills to an audience, no more so than when King used it to full effect on his signature song, “The Thrill is Gone.” He would make his guitar shout and cry in anguish as he told the tale of forsaken love, then end with a guttural shouting of the final lines: “Now that it’s all over, all I can do is wish you well.”
Bryson also revealed that funeral arrangements for B.B. King are already underway.

King’s eldest surviving daughter Shirley King of the Chicago area said she was upset that she didn’t have a chance to see her father before he died.

Although he had continued to perform well into his 80s, the 15-time Grammy winner suffered from diabetes and had been in declining health during the past year. He collapsed during a concert in Chicago last October, later blaming dehydration and exhaustion. He had been in hospice care at his Las Vegas home.

For most of a career spanning nearly 70 years, Riley B. King was not only the undisputed king of the blues but a mentor to scores of guitarists, who included Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Keith Richards. He recorded more than 50 albums and toured the world well into his 80s, often performing 250 or more concerts a year.

King played a Gibson guitar he affectionately called Lucille with a style that included beautifully crafted single-string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos and bent notes.

In 2006 King told The Associated Press:

“Sometimes I just think that there are more things to be said, to make the audience understand what I’m trying to do more.”

“When I’m singing, I don’t want you to just hear the melody. I want you to relive the story, because most of the songs have pretty good storytelling.”

A preacher uncle taught him to play, and he honed his technique in abject poverty in the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues.

He said in the 1988 book “Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music.”:

“I’ve always tried to defend the idea that the blues doesn’t have to be sung by a person who comes from Mississippi, as I did,”

“People all over the world have problems,” he said. “And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die.”

We leave you with B.B. King – “The Thrill Is Gone” Live From Crossroads Festival 2010: