Blues legend Johnny Winter found dead in swiss hotel room

ZÚRICH (Reuters) - Johnny Winter, an American blues rock guitarist, vocalist and band leader known for his virtuoso slide-guitar solos and raspy vocals, was found dead in a hotel room outside Zurich, Swiss police said on Thursday. He was 70.

Along with his brother, Edgar Winter, also a well known blues musician, the Texas-born Winter revered African-American blues tradition and began performing in his teens.

"His wife, family and bandmates are all saddened by the loss of one of the world's finest guitarists," his publicist Carla Parisi said. Winter had been on tour in Europe.

Johnny, distinctive because he and brother Edgar were albino, broke into national fame in 1968, when Rolling Stone magazine dubbed him the hottest musician outside Janis Joplin.

In 1969, he played the Newport Jazz Festival, where he performed with B.B. King, one of his musical idols, and at Woodstock.

He also produced albums for his idol, Muddy Waters, in the 1970s, helping to burnish the reputation of the legendary bluesman.

Among Winter's best known songs was "Still Alive and Well", a blues rock stomper recorded after he resurfaced from heroin addiction in the 1970s.

A new Winter album, on which Eric Clapton and Ben Harper appear as guests, is set to be released on Sept. 2. A boxed collections of his main tracks since the 1960s was released this year, complete with tributes from other performers who said he'd been a seminal influence on their careers.

In an interview with the New York Times earlier this year, Winter said he enjoyed touring and working with younger musicians.

"I think about legacy a lot," he said. "Hopefully at the end of the day they say I was a good bluesman. That's all I want."

Winter was found dead overnight in a hotel room outside Zurich, according to a police spokeswoman. A prosecutor has ordered an autopsy because the cause of death is unclear.

There was no indication of third-party involvement, and early indications pointed to a medically related incident.

Parisi said an official statement with more details will be issued "at the appropriate time."
This cat was awesome! Back in late 70's early 80's I spent time talking to him during a band break at High Rollers in Memphis. He wrote not just songs but poetry too. Called me a cooool SOB...LOL
He thought I was a bouncer there but I wasn't. I had just ran two guys off that were being vulgar and rude to two ladies and I guess he thought I worked there. Dude was cool as hell too. Amazing guitarist and had a helluva music life! Sad to read of his passing but hey we all got to go sometime.

Nobody forever stays a' round
Comes a time,
no shadow is cast upon the ground
Best we can hope for is family and love
sweet life and trip above. -Tyr