B.B. King Death: President Obama, Kelly Clarkson & More Mourn The Passing of a Music Legend

His lyrics were filled with emotion and his guitar skills were beyond legendary. Now, as family, friends and fans mourn the death of blues legend B.B. King, who died Thursday night at the age of 89, the countless number of musicians he has influenced are also taking time to pay their last respects.

Soul singer Gladys Knight shared a video of her and King performing "Please Send Me Someone to Love." The singer remembered King for his universal influence in the music industry, writing on social media, "What a brilliant man you were. One who will forever be noted as such an inspiration to millions globally, RIP #BBKing"

While Snoop Dogg posted a simple picture of a younger King on his Instagram page, other stars like Kelly Clarkson recalled their first time hearing King sing.

The "American Idol" winner took to Twitter to honor King, writing, "When I heard B.B. King for the first time he was singing The Thrill Is Gone. The way he played & sang bought tears to my eyes. #RIPBBKING."

Singer-guitarist Lenny Kravitz expressed his reverence for King on Twitter, writing, "BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one. #RIP #BBKing"

President Barack Obama released a statement in honor of he legendary blues musician.

"The blues has lost its king, and America has lost a legend. B.B. King was born a sharecropper's son in Mississippi, came of age in Memphis, Tennessee, and became the ambassador who brought his all-American music to his country and the world. No one worked harder than B.B. No one inspired more up-and-coming artists. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues," Obama said in a statement (via Rolling Stone).

He added, "Three years ago, Michelle and I hosted a blues concert at the White House. I hadn't expected that I'd be talked into singing a few lines of 'Sweet Home Chicago' with B.B. by the end of the night, but that was the kind of effect his music had, and still does. He gets stuck in your head, he gets you moving, he gets you doing the things you probably shouldn't do, but will always be glad you did. B.B. may be gone, but that thrill will be with us forever. And there's going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight."

Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote, "Curious fact that any time we lose a person who sings the Blues, as we just did in #BBKing, the World becomes a sadder place."

Celebrities such as Montel Williams, Samuel L. Jackson, Darren Criss and Canadian singer Bryan Adams also took time to pay respect to King.

Tags

B.B. King, President Barack Obama