ALLAN HOLDSWORTH,
1946-2017

Allan Holdsworth, the influential guitarist who alternated between jazz fusion and progressive rock, died Sunday at his home in Vista, Calif. He was 70.

Frank Zappa, Neal Schon and Robben Ford were fans as was Eddie Van Halen, the guitarist helped him secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records in the early 1980s.

His daughter, Louise, announced his death on his Facebook page. “We would appreciate privacy and time while we grieve the loss of our dad, grandad, friend and musical genius... We are undeniably still in shock with his unexpected death and cannot begin to put into words the overwhelming sadness we are experiencing. He is missed tremendously.”

In the 1970s, Holdsworth built a following after bringing a heavier guitar sound to Soft Machine before replacing John McLaughlin in The Tony Williams Lifetime. After making his solo debut with Velvet Darkness for the jazz imprint CTI and stints in Gong and U.K., he began a solo career that would result in nearly 20 albums. He also was an in-demand guest on records, recording with Bill Bruford, Jean Luc Ponty and Jack Bruce among others.

His lone Warners release was 1983’s Road Games, which would receive a Grammy nomination. He also recorded for Enigma, Restless, Relativity and Moonjune. He had recently released a box set of his solo albums released between 1982 and 2003 under the title The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever.

Guitarists McLaughlin, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Vernon Reid and Kurt Rosenwinkel, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Dave Holland were among the artists who paid tribute to Holdsworth on social media.