Legendary bluesman B.B. King passed away last night at the age of 89.

Born Riley B. King in Berclair, Mississippi, in 1925, King died in a hospice in Las Vegas in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. Pacific, according to his official website.

As news spread around the world, heartfelt expressions of grief reverberated across social media platforms, originating from musicians and music lovers alike.

Photo by Elsa Hahne

King’s unique brand of blues crossed over every conceivable musical boundary, making him a household name for the last four or five decades.

And the Mississippi Delta native shared a fondness for New Orleans that brought him to Jazz Fest multiple times and even to Tipitina’s for a special show in 2013.

In a May 1995 interview with OffBeat contributor Scott Jordan called “B.B. King: It’s Good To Be King,” Jordan asked King if there are any people he has performed with that stand out in his memory.

“Oh, yeah. I feel myself very lucky. I have toured with two of the number one groups of the world, about twenty years apart. The first was the Rolling Stones, and then U2, and then I have recorded since then the Blues Summit, where I used a person from your area—Irma Thomas. And many of the other people on this CD, which was so enjoyable. And just recently I was in L.A., and Irma happened to be in the area, and she and her husband came by, and she sat in and played one of the tunes with me. I was so happy.”

Brett Milano took in King’s 2013 Jazz Fest set and had this to say about the way King ended his set:

“…at set’s end he proclaimed his love for New Orleans musicians and did “When the Saints Go Marching In.” But before wrapping up he thanked the crowd warmly and said “If I can’t be with you again next week, I hope you can think of me sometime.” It seemed a dignified, but hardly upbeat way of saying farewell.”

Let’s all join together and bid a fond farewell to one of the titans of the blues, Mr. B.B. King.