Blues legend B.B. King has passed away in Las Vegas at age 89, where he had been in home hospice care after being briefly hospitalized for dehydration related to his Type II diabetes in April.
King recorded more than 50 albums during a career that lasted nearly 70 years. He would tour the world relentlessly, sometimes playing 250 shows per year. Among his many albums was a collaboration with Clapton on 2000′s Riding With the King.
King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He was also inducted into 2014 class of the R&B Music Hall of Fame.
In 1990, King was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George H.W. Bush. In 2006, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring countless other electric blues and blues rock guitarists.
