Johnny Depp has broken his seven-month social media hiatus. He surprised fans with an emotional tribute to his late bandmate and “brother,” Jeff Beck on his 79th birthday. The Pirates of the Caribbean star penned a heartfelt message on Instagram along with a vintage photo of the duo repairing a car. Depp captioned the post, “Happy birthday my dearest brother Jeff, You are with me, always. You are everything!!! Your fellow giant toddler… eternal love and worship.” According to Mirror , the legendary guitarist passed away on January 10, 2023, due to a bacterial meningitis infection.
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The heart-tugging message was acknowledged by many of Depp’s fans and friends. Poet and singer, Patti Smith wrote, “We salute both you and Jeff every night on the road. Brothers go where we go. Bolero and Nine with all our love.” An ardent fan commented, “I so appreciate you & loved the music you and Jeff made together. He was a consummate guitarist & musician. You worked so well together, giving you both – and your many fans – much joy! Carry on, now. We all have memories to cherish. Your dear friend is with you.” A second fan added, “Happy heavenly birthday JB.”
People reports that Depp “was by Jeff’s bedside” along with “some other rock stars” before Beck’s death. A close source revealed, “They had a really tight friendship, they were extremely close, and he got even closer over this past summer when they were touring together. The sickness came on really quickly and it all deteriorated rapidly in the last couple weeks.”
“Johnny is still processing this news. He’s devastated,” the source added. The duo released their last album together, titled 18 , just eight days after Depp won the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. The music album was released on July 15. They also dropped a video for the track, This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr , the first single from the album. The Jeanne du Barry actor had proudly told People about the collaboration: “It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother.”
Beck had also praised his “brother in music” saying, “I haven’t had another creative partner like him for ages. He was a major force on this record. I just hope people will take him seriously as a musician because it’s a hard thing for some people to accept that Johnny Depp can sing rock and roll.”
The Edward Scissorhands star also paid tribute to his guitarist friend at London’s Royal Albert Hall along with Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, and Ronnie Wood in May. This was right after his coveted Cannes International Film Festival appearance . Depp played the guitar on stage in remembrance of his dearest friend Beck.