HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who pioneered the solid-body Gibson electric guitars that revolutionized the music industry, died Thursday from complications from pneumonia, Reuters reports. He was 94.
Paul died at White Plains Hospital, where he was surrounded by his family and friends.
“At 94, it’s hard to fight a lot of stuff,” Paul’s attorney, Michael Braunstein, told Reuters. “He’s a historical person. He certainly has left his mark here on Earth and had many, many friends.”
A music enthusiast since childhood, Paul became dissatisfied with the acoustic guitars available in the mid 1930s. Determined to improve guitar amplification, Paul developed “The Log” in 1941. The four-by-four piece of wood strung with steel strings later evolved into a more traditional guitar shape, and in 1952, Gibson Guitars began production on the Les Paul guitar, a development that continues to impact the music industry to this day.
“Without Les Paul, we would not have rock and roll as we know it,” said Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. “His inventions created the infrastructure for the music and his playing style will ripple through generations. He was truly an architect of rock and roll.”
Paul also enjoyed great success as a musician. He and his wife, Mary Ford, recorded a string of hits in the 1940s and 1950s that included “How High the Moon,” “Mockin’ Bird Hill” and “Vaya Con Dios.”
Paul was born Lester William Polfuss in Waukseha, Wis. He initially billed himself in the music industry as Red Hot Red or Rhubarb Red.
“He was one of the most stellar human beings I’ve ever known,” former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash said of his musical influence.
