AIMAN INAM
LONDON: Progressive rock and jazz fusion artist Allan Holdsworth has died at the age of 70.
His daughter Louise breaking the news of his demise on her facebook account said: “It is with heavy hearts that we notify everyone of the passing of our beloved father. We would appreciate privacy and time while we grieve the loss of our dad, granddad, 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.”
He was born in Bradford, England and lived in Southern California for numerous decades.
Holdsworth released several jazz fusion solo albums with associates such as Gordon Beck and Mark Varney. The EP titled Road Games received a Grammy nomination for the best rock instrumental performance.
So as to express his grief, Musician Joe Satriani took to twitter, “R.I.P. Allan Holdsworth. You remain an enormous inspiration to me. Your beautiful music will live on forever.”
Late composer and musician Frank Zappa has once said that Holdsworth had single-handedly reinvented the electric guitar. He has played guitar with a number of groups including Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Soft Machine and (progressive rock band) UK etc.