Rock Legend Les Paul Dies

Guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who designed the solid-body electric guitar that shared his namesake, died Thursday at a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

Paul also helped kick-start the rise of rock 'n' roll with multitrack recording, reverb, and delay. The use of electric guitar built steam in the 1940s, and then exploded with the dawn of rock in the mid-'50s.

Paul was playing regular gigs at a New York City nightclub up until a few months ago when he battled illnesses that put him "in and out of the hospital," his attorney, Michael Braunstein, told Reuters.

"At 94, it's hard to fight a lot of stuff," Braunstein said. "He's a historical person. He certainly has left his mark here on Earth and had many, many friends."

Guitarists from Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses, and Green Day have all played Les Paul guitars.