Eric Clapton remembered his friend and colleague B.B. King in a video posted to Facebook Friday morning, saying he wanted to express his sadness.
“He was a beacon for all of us who love this kind of music,” Clapton said in the video below. “If you’re not familiar with his work, I would encourage you to go out and find an album called B.B. King Live at the Regal, which is where it all really started for me as a young player.”
Clapton and King collaborated on the 2000 album Riding With the King. King died Thursday night; he was 89.
Look Back at B.B. King's Life and Career
B.B. King a local DJ at WDIA Radio poses for a portrait circa 1948 in Memphis, Tenn.Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty imagesB.B. King poses for a portrait in 1950.
Gilles Petard/RedfernsFrom Left: Musicians B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Elvin Bishop perform together in 1967 in New York City.Don Paulsen—Michael Ochs ArchivesB.B. King performs on a TV show in Los Angeles in the early 1970's . Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty imagesB.B. King performs at the Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Ill. on Sept. 22, 1985.Bettmann/CorbisFrom Left: U2 and B.B. King perform onstage during The Lovetown tour on Sept. 1, 1989 in Australia.Bob King—RedfernsFrom Left: B.B. King and John Lee Hooker pose for a portrait on Jan. 1, 1997.Bill Reitzel—CorbisFrom Left: President Bill Clinton plays the sax with B.B. King at 'A Family Celebration 2001' at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on April 1, 2001 Kevin Winter—Getty ImagesB.B. King performs during the funeral for legendary singer and musician Ray Charles at the First AME Church in Los Angeles on June 18, 2004.Genaro Molina—Reuters/CorbisB.B. King smiles while President George W. Bush presents King with the Medal of Freedom on Dec. 15, 2006 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Tim Sloan—AFP/Getty ImagesFrom Left: B.B. King watches as President Barack Obama waves during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 9, 2010. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesB.B. King performs at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Aug. 13, 2013 in Atlanta.John Davidson—Corbis
