Musicians, friends react to blues legend BB King’s death

In this March 14, 2005, file photo, blues guitarists, from left, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton stand on stage during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York. Guy said Friday, May 15, 2015, that he hopes all guitar players remember B.B. King as “the greatest guitar player that ever lived.” The 89-year-old King died late Thursday at home in Las Vegas. AP

Blues legend B.B. King died late Thursday at his Las Vegas home. Here are some comments from people who knew and admired him:

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“The blues has lost its king, and America has lost a legend. B.B. King was born a sharecropper’s son in Mississippi, came of age in Memphis, Tennessee, and became the ambassador who brought his all-American music to his country and the world. No one worked harder than B.B. No one inspired more up-and-coming artists. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues. He gets stuck in your head, he gets you moving, he gets you doing the things you probably shouldn’t do — but will always be glad you did. B.B. may be gone, but that thrill will be with us forever. And there’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight.” — President Barack Obama

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“I just wanted to express my sadness and to say thank you to my dear friend BB King. I wanted to thank him for all the inspiration and encouragement he gave me as a player over the years and for the friendship that we enjoyed. There’s not a lot left to say because this music is almost a thing of the past now, and there are not many left to play it in the pure way that BB did. He was a beacon for all of us who love this kind of music, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart.” — Eric Clapton, in a video posted on Facebook

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“B.B. King bent the strings on a guitar like no one else, and we all owe him something now. Every guitar player that’s not known and well-known is playing something that man created on a guitar.” — Buddy Guy

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“Mississippi is known the world over as the birthplace of America’s music, and BB King is one of its founding legends and one of our state’s most treasured gifts to the music world. For decades, our souls have been stirred by his talents. From juke joints to concert halls, there is no place his influence hasn’t reached. Mississippi has lost a legend. He is the king. The thrill is gone.” — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant

In this April 21, 1980 file photo, B.B. King, left, and an accompanist perform during the opening of the 1980 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. King died Thursday, May 14, 2015, peacefully in his sleep at his Las Vegas home at age 89, his lawyer said. AP

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“He united multiple generations with a love for the blues, and I will always recall the joy he would bring to audiences and fellow musicians alike when they were lucky enough to be in his presence. When he said, ‘I’ll play the Blues for You,’ he meant it. He enriched the lives and the music of every artist he came into contact with, and it’s through his influence and his inspiration that his music will continue to be heard.” — Longtime Grammys Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich

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“I have had many opportunities to spend time with B.B. in and around the Mississippi Delta, and each time I was in his presence, I walked away with a greater sense of his brilliance and great dedication to his craft. … He was a source of pride for the Mississippi Delta and its greatest ambassador across the world.” — Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, whose congressional district includes the Mississippi Delta, where King was born

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In this June 20, 2008 file photo, musician B.B. King performs at the opening night of the 87th season of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. King died Thursday, May 14, 2015, peacefully in his sleep at his Las Vegas home at age 89, his lawyer said. AP

“He was a brilliant blues guitarist and a kind, good man. I will always be grateful that twice I had the chance to play with him, and that he received the Kennedy Center Honor when I was president. While an American legend has gone to his greater reward, the thrill of his gifts to us will never be gone.” — Joint statement from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

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“His fusion of jump, jazz and blues styles became the template for blues and rock guitarists the world over. Without BB, there would be no Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and without Jimi and Eric, no heavy rock — but we shouldn’t hold that against him! A true great.” — Producer Joe Boyd, who worked with Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention and many others

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“The world has physically lost not only one of the greatest musical people ever but one of the greatest people ever. Enjoy your eternity.” — Smokey Robinson

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