Johnny Depp ‘Devastated’ Over the Death of Jeff Beck, Who He Once Lived With for ‘Months and Months and Months’

Johnny Depp is reportedly ‘devastated’ over the death of famous guitarist Jeff Beck, who passed away peacefully on January 10th. A source close to Depp told PEOPLE that he is ‘still processing this news,’ but that he, along with several other rock stars and musicians, visited Beck at the hospital before he died. 

‘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 of weeks,” the source explained. Depp has yet to publicly address his passing. 

Beck and Depp formed an especially close relationship over the past few years, which was heightened by the release of their album – titled 18 – on July 15, 2022, and the transatlantic tour that followed, which saw them perform for 23 crowds in 21 different cities between October 1st and November 12th of last year.

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Towards the end of October 2022, when Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck were knees-deep into their tour, they took some time to sit down with Stevie Van Zandt for a SiriusXM Town Hall special. During the interview, Depp opens up about a time in his life when Beck and his wife, Sandra, invited him to stay with them. 

Van Zandt shared a question from an audience member that asked what it was like for the two to be back on tour together. “For me, Jeff very simply and kindly, Jeff and his wife Sandra just took me into their house, and I lived with them for months and months and months,” said Depp in response to the question. 

“So for me having had to deal with other things at the same time, once those things, you know, are down the road and you drop into the tour, it’s like you’re home. You are home and you feel at home. Like, where I can actually be me,” he further explained, before Beck chimed in with a snarky and funny comment. 

Beck jokingly scolded Depp because he once found a McDonald’s wrapper in the garbage can – to which they both laughed. “I had that in my back pocket for weeks. It was a cheeseburger,” Depp joked back. “I wondered where he got it, we live 50 miles from the nearest [McDonald’s],” said Beck as he chuckled. 

Jeff Beck Wanted to Do a Blues Album, But Johnny Depp Refused

At one point during the SiriusXM interview, Jeff Beck explained how he originally wanted to do a blues album with Johnny Depp. Unfortunately, Depp didn’t feel the same way and immediately turned that idea down. They, instead, proceeded to make a rock album but drew inspiration from a variety of genres. 

The collaboration started when Beck had started making a track at his home. Depp had walked in – having just woken up – and heard what Beck put together. While Beck was resting, Depp recorded his own three-part harmonies to the song. When Beck woke up, he was surprised by what Deep had done.

“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,” said Depp, praising his creation with Jeff ahead of their album’s release. It was a sentiment shared by Beck, who praised his work with Depp in a separate statement.

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“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,” said Beck at the time. Now that he’s gone, may he rest in peace.