"He's devastated": Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck friendship explored in wake of guitar legend's death at 78

American actor Johnny Depp is grieving the loss of his longtime friend and collaborator, Jeff Beck.

In a statement issued to People Magazine, a source close to the 59-year-old star stated that he is "totally devastated" with Beck's passing and was beside him, along with some other rock stars before his death.

"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."

Beck and Depp were frequent collaborators and had bonded over their passion for music.

The late guitarist passed away on January 10 at his Surrey, England, home after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis.

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Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck's friendship at a 2017 concert backstage

As per Mirror UK, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck first crossed each other's paths in 2017 at a concert backstage. During a gig in 2022, the latter introduced his friend to the crowd, stating:

"He came knocking on my dressing room door about five years ago and we haven't stopped laughing since."

Over the years, Depp and Beck have collaborated several times, their first being in 2020 when they released a cover of John Lennon's 1970s song, Isolation.

In 2022, the duo, who were described as "musical soulmates," released an album together, titled 18, on July 15, that featured original songs along with some covers.

In 2019, the duo graced the stage of a charity festival organized by Eric Clapton where they performed a version of Isolation.

Last year, Beck and Depp again performed together on-stage. While the latter was at the time awaiting his defamation trial verdict against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, he joined the late artist during a concert gig in England.

They once again performed Isolation along with two other cover songs - Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. The locations of this UK tour included Sheffield, Gateshead, and London, among others. Depp was not present in the court at the time of his verdict, which was announced in the US.

Moreover, Depp and Jeff Beck also released a music video for their song This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr. At the time, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor stated via a release:

"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."

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Jeff Beck's death announcement was made by his family via his Twitter handle on January 11. Several personalities like Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Rod Stewart, Joe Perry, Jimmy Page, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Brian May, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley paid tribute to the deceased on Twitter.