Legendary blues musician Johnny Winter dies aged 70

Just days after his performance in Austria, it has been confirmed that Johnny Winter, has died at the age of 70 in a hotel in Zurich.

16:11 18 July 2014

Blues musician Johnny Winter, who inspired the likes of John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards and worked alongside Muddy Waters, has died at the age of 70 as confirmed by his representative, Carla Parisi.

Parisi published a short statement on his Facebook page: "His wife, family and bandmates are all saddened by the loss of their loved one and one of the world's finest guitarists..

"An official statement with more details shall be issued at the appropriate time."

Winter had been on extensive tour that included Europe. His last performance was in Austria on July 12.

The guitarist began his recording career at the age of 15 with his band Johnny And The Jammers, when he released “School Day Blues.” He got his big break when he was signed by Columbia Records after representatives for the recording company saw him perform at a Bloomfield and Al Kooper concert in New York. So impressed, they gave him a record breaking advance.

Winter was scheduled to release a new album, Step Back, on September 02. It is not known how his death will affect the release.

In June, he told JournalStar.com: “I play pretty much all kinds of blues. I play Delta stuff, I play Chicago, I play Texas. The rock, that’s just Johnny Winter… You don’t want to sound like anybody else. I hope I’ve done that. I don’t think anybody else plays like me."