Johnny Depp, 60, dedicated a special song to his late friend Jeff Beck during a concert with his band on Thursday. The actor and musician mentioned the English guitarist, who passed away in Jan. at the age of 78, right before he performed “Heroes” by David Bowie to the cheering crowd. “I should dedicate this song to one of all of our heroes, Mr. Jeff Beck,” he said in some videos that some social media users captured from the emotional moment.
IM SOBBING 😫😫😫 pic.twitter.com/nmXfncLxCk
— Dani. (@danibelcs) June 8, 2023
The dedication happened one day before his 60th birthday and reminded fans of the special bond that he had with the icon. During the performance, he wore a striped white collared shirt under a black vest and black pants. He also wore a black hat over his long hair and added a light red scarf around his head as he played guitar to the tune.
Once videos of the tribute made their way online, Twitter users couldn’t help but react with comments. “I am crying,” one user wrote, while another shared, “My heart wasn’t ready for that.” A third added, “I have goosebumps” and a fourth wrote, “Dedicating Heroes to Jeff…perfect.”
Johnny’s sweet way of honoring Jeff comes after the fellow musician passed away due to contracting bacterial meningitis. The fast pals first met in 2016 and reportedly bonded over their love of cars and music. They started playing music together in 2019 and eventually toured in Europe and the U.S. together.
The talented artists released an album called 18 last summer. It included 13 tracks and it led to them performing at a handful of concerts to promote the new record. Since Jeff’s death was reportedly unexpected and happened soon after he became ill, it shocked many, including Johnny.
“They had a really tight friendship, they were extremely close, and he got even closer over this past summer when they were touring together,” a source told People at the time. “The sickness came on really quickly and it all deteriorated rapidly. Johnny is still processing this news. He’s devastated.” The outlet also reported that the Edward Scissorhands star “was by Jeff’s bedside” along with “some other rock stars,” before his death.