The charismatic guitarist and singer B.B. King (born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi) passed away on Thursday, May 14, 2015 in Las Vegas after spending more than six decades introducing audiences to electric blues. He was 89.
King, the peerless blues spokesman, continued to travel extensively into his late 80s. His iconic playing technique, which featured a ringing single-note vibrato sound on his electric guitar named Lucille and a throaty, throttling vocal howl, established the genre. In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received 15 Grammy Awards.
King was a big spender who indulged in food, ladies (he claimed to have fathered 15 children by 15 separate partners), and gambling, among other vices.
Cause of death
King received a diabetes diagnosis almost 30 years ago. He had type 2 diabetes, which led to a succession of minor strokes, which led to vascular dementia, which caused him to pass away while he was sleeping.
