Slash and a host of other stars have paid tribute to the late Deep Purple rocker Jon Lord.
The keyboard player and founder of the iconic heavy metal band passed away on Monday (16.07.12) in London and several of his music peers and celebrity fans have praised his contribution to music.
Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash tweeted: "Sad day in Rock & Roll; Jon Lord has passed on. One of the biggest, baddest, heaviest sounds in Heavy Metal. One if a kind. RIP. (sic)"
Rage Against the Machine axeman Tom Morello thanked Lord for the songs he gave the world, which included ‘Smoke On The Water’.
He wrote on his twitter page: "RIP the great Jon Lord, Deep Purple’s cornerstone/keyboardist. So many great great songs and that incredible SOUND of his! Thankyou. (sic)"
Actor Ewan McGregor recalled a personal memory of Lord performing with the late rock pianist and singer Tony Ashton, who died in May 2001.
The ‘Trainspotting’ star tweeted: "Deep Purple’s Jon Lord dies at 71. Jon played with my great friend Tony Ashton. They’ll be jamming upstairs now!"
Bassist Geezer Butler – whose band Black Sabbath is considered one of the pioneers of the heavy metal genre along with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin – described Lord as one of the "great musicians" of his lifetime.
In a post on his personal website, he wrote: "Very sad to hear of Jon’s death, following his battle with the demon cancer. One of the great musicians of my generation. Tony Iommi recently worked with Jon, and said what a lovely bloke he was. I met him a few times, but never got to work with him. Blessings."
Lord died aged 71 from a fatal pulmonary embolism – a blockage of the main artery of the lung caused by a moving blood clot – following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by his family in his final moments.