Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John 5, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Mourn LES PAUL
Further to our initial report on the passing of LES PAUL, who at the age of 94 died due to complications from pneumonia, the following acclamied guitarists have issued the following statements:
Eddie Van Halen (VAN HALEN): “Les Paul was a pioneer, an innovator and a dear friend. I am deeply saddened at the news of his passing. It was truly an honour to have known him and sit around with him talking guitars. I am especially glad that he, my son Wolfgang and I had a chance to spend some quality time together in the past few years. I will miss him dearly.”
Joe Satriani (CHICKENFOOT): “Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium Club and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all.”
John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE): “Les Paul gave me one of the best days of my life when I got to play with him at his club in New York City. He was the one that told me to go solo and make guitar records. This is a great loss. My thoughts go out to his family and to everybody who was touched and influenced by him.”
Billy Gibbons (ZZ TOP): “Les Paul brought the six string to electricity and electricity to the six-string. He was an innovator, a groundbreaker, a risk taker, a mentor and a friend. Try to imagine what we’d be doing if he hadn’t come along and changed the world as he most, indisputably, did. There will always be more Les to come. That’s certified.”
Joe Perry (AEROSMITH): “As a guitarist and a fan of music in general, I know the amazing contributions Les Paul made in his lifetime to the art of making music. He was a true genius. The few times that I had met him, he made me feel like I had known him forever. He was always sharp, ready to rock and he was always talking about his next gig. Knowing that he is not walking the earth anymore is sad and I have lost a friend. But every time I pick up a guitar, I’ll know that his spirit is alive and well right next to me.”
Born Lester William Polfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915, Les Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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August 14th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Even the guitar gods bow down to Les. He was the coolest and lived a great life.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Such a horrible loss…rest in peace. Everyone has such kind words to say about him and his life, it is so amazing. <3
August 14th, 2009 at 10:14 am
RIP Les, your family, friends, and fans miss you!
August 14th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Get the DVD “Les Paul: Chasing Sound” on Netflix or whatever. You will be truly amazed at his talent and genius. He also had about 1000 guitars at his house. I hope they end up in a museum and not with collectors.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I wonder if Eddie still has the custom Les Paul with the Floyd Rose that Les Paul actually had made, and gave to Eddie some years ago. I always thought that was an awesome gift!
There is a picture of it in an old Guitar World special issue, “Guitar Legends”. It was an all Eddie issue from 1992 that was very cool. There is a pic of Eddie, Les and the guitar on page 83 if anyone else has it laying around.
That issue of Guitar World is what got me into Van Halen and the Guitar. I saw it at the grocery store in ‘92 and picked it up. I didn’t know much about Van Halen back then except for “Jump” and “Panama”. I was hooked after reading it over and over and buying every CD. On the 8th page of the magazine is a picture of Eddie with the Frankie. I was such an idiot at the time (1992) that I actually thought it was a picture of Jon Bon Jovi holding the guitar for some reason. Geeze. Yes, I was, and am a moron!
August 14th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
iwannaberr:
Thanks for the heads up on the DVD. I am going to check it out for sure. I agree about all of his guitars, as well as awards and such. If they don’t stay in the family first, it would be a shame for some non-player collectors to lock them up out of site somewhere.
Man, We get to talk guitars and VH, and Rock and Roll thanks to Les!
August 14th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Eddie is always a class act.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Nice to see Joe and Ed paying respect.
Les revolutionized the electric guitar and allowed such greats as Ed, Jimmy, Jimi, etc to run with it’s beautiful sound.
Thanxs Les. I know all is well right now with you.
Please watch over all our incarnations of this great american band.
August 14th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Guess where we’ll see Eddie play live next?
Oh maybe a huge Les Paul tribute concert??
May I live as long, and rock out as hard as Les Paul… He had a pretty good ride!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Even though Ed absolutely tore the room off of BAM that night in 1988, he seemed more than a little drunk when he was bantering with Les before playing. “It’s a goddamn honor,” he slurred.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Very sad to read of Les Paul’s passing. Very cool to read these greats paying their respects.
I still remember a interview with Les Paul on NPR. Mesmerizing. Informative. Everyone listening got schooled.
Thanks for posting the above article.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
R.I.P les you will be missed you timeless badass!
August 15th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
It’s a goddamn end of an era.Les was every guitarist x 10 and he was intrigued by eddie so there ya go.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:27 am
in my personal opinion, the biggest guitar god is gone and les paul will be totally missed by all! rest in peace les paul.
August 17th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
In the spirit of a true guitar playing legend such as Mr Paul i just want to know…Is Kimberly ever going to tell us where we can see some juicy pictures of her?….Les Paul is in heaven right now jamming with all the legends.Amen.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:27 am
94 years and rocking. A life lived in full. Les made the musical note meet with electric energy and changed the way us mortals enjoy music. Les, you will live on as long as there is electric in the air.