an innovative and Grammy-winning guitarist who was regarded as one of the most important of the post-World War II era, died January 10 at a hospital near his home in Wadhurst, East Sussex, UK. He was 78. Cause of death was bacterial meningitis. Best known for his tenure as lead guitarist of 1960s British blues-rock pioneers the Yardbirds, and for his (1975) and (1976) were highly successful and regarded as classics of the genre, and Beck collaborated memorably with former Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboardist Jan Hammer.
