Blues Icon B.B. King Dead at Age 89.King, who is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all-time, died at 9:40 p.m. Thursday, Fudenberg said.
He had been living in hospice care in Las Vegas, which he had told his fans via his website on May 1.
Born Riley B. King in 1925 in Mississippi, the icon was inspired to play guitar as a boy after seeing his pastor play in church.
"I wanted to be like him. ... I wanted to be just like him. People used to tell me when I was younger that I played a lot like him," King told PBS in 2013.
King's recording career started in 1949 and he had his first hit three years later with "3 O'Clock Blues," which was followed by others, including "You Know I Love You" and "Woke Up This Morning."
In 1969, King released "The Thrill is Gone," one of his biggest hits for the album "Completely Well." The single hit number 3 on the 1970 Billboard Best Selling Soul Singes chart and number 15 on the Hot 100. He later won a Grammy for the song.
King was married twice in his life, to Martha Lee Denton and Sue Carol Hall, both of which ended by the mid-1960s. The musician is survived by his 11 living children.
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