Blues Legend Johnny Winter Dead at 70

Sad news in the world of blues music -- hell, the world of music in general. Johnny Winter, the legendary blues guitarist, singer and music producer, has died in Switzerland at age 70.

The news was confirmed by Winter's representative, Carla Parisi, in a statement to the Associated Press that Winter was found dead Wednesday in his hotel room in Zurich, Switzerland. In the aftermath of this release, a Facebook was posted stating that Winter's "wife, family and bandmates were all saddened by the loss of one of the world's finest guitarists."

At the time of his death, Winter had been on the European leg of a world tour, with his final performance taking place this past Saturday at the Lovely Days Festival in Wiesen, Austria. In recent years, Winter maintained a busy touring schedule. Prior to his death, Winter had scheduled a four-month tour to begin this month, with dates in Europe, South America, Canada and the United States. A new album was expected to follow in the fall, but the fate of any recorded material is currently unknown.

Winter first came onto the scene in the late 1960s after being featured in a high-profile article in Rolling Stone that launched the success of his first album in 1968, The Progressive Blues Experiment. A self-titled album followed a year later, followed by another album titled Second Winter. In subsequent years, his profile as a musician would rise, as he would go on to be listed at No. 63 on a Rolling Stone list of all-time great guitarists, an accolade that is extremely well-earned.

A cause of death has not been revealed, but Winter had battled health and substance abuse issues throughout his life.

H/T: NPR

Credit: CBS