Johnny Winter, legendary Blues guitarist, dies in Zurich hotel room at age 70

Johnny Winter, the legendary Blues guitarist, died Wednesday in a Zurich hotel room. He was 70 years old.

The musician’s representative wrote a statement on his Facebook page confirming the sad news. However, no further information on the cause of death was immediately available. “His wife, family and bandmates are all saddened by the loss of their loved one and one of the world's finest guitarists,” the statement read.

Winter is the brother of Edgar Winter, who shared their unique look as albumo musicians. Winter gained fame before his brother, though, and was known for his virtuoso guitar playing and his rough vocals. According to Reuters, he was named one of the hottest acts in music by Rolling Stone when he started in 1968.

He performed at Woodstock and also at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival, where he played with B.B. King. In addition, he frequently recorded with one of his other idols, Muddy Waters.

Winter had been touring extensively this past year and his final show came in Austria just this past weekend, notes The Associated Press. He has a new album with Eric Clapton coming out in September and his record label recently released a set of his ‘60s work.

image courtesy of Antonie Brzostoski/INFphoto.com

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