This news is far from a Christmas present: Leslie West, Mountain , and part of the trio West, Bruce and Laing alongside Jack Bruce of Cream , has passed away at the age of 75. The information was confirmed by Leslie's brother, Larry West Weinstein , to Rolling Stone .
The artist suffered a heart attack at his home near Daytona, Florida, last Monday, the 21st. He was promptly taken to the hospital, but never regained consciousness.
Larry had posted in a now-deleted post that his brother's heart had stopped at one point, and that he had been put on a ventilator, meaning the prognosis was not good and that he might not make it through the night. Even during this challenging time, the artist's brother took the opportunity to thank Jenni , Leslie's wife, who remained by his side throughout the process, stating that the artist "wouldn't have lasted this long if it weren't for her."
From the moment the tragic news became public, countless tributes from various musical backgrounds have been posted on social media; see some of them below:
Jenni West: "The last true love I'll ever know..."
Geeze Butler : “Sad to hear about the passing of Leslie West. Such a lovely guy. He was fantastic with us when [Black] Sabbath opened for Mountain on our first North American tour. He came to see us at Mohegan Sun, even when he was in a wheelchair. The riff on 'Mississippi Queen' is one of, if not the best riff of all time. Rest in peace.”
Tom Morello: “Rest in peace, Leslie West. His guitar tone on 'Mississippi Queen' is without a doubt the BEST guitar tone ever recorded.”
Glenn Hughes : “So so sad to hear that my dear friend Leslie West has passed away. A pioneer, singing and playing guitar, he was absolutely incredible at both. Brothers for five decades. Gab and I love you and miss you. Millions of music listeners will remember your music, my brother. Mountain”
Brian May : "So sad to hear that. Rest in peace."
Alex Skolnick : “Another great one gone: I became aware of Leslie West after acquiring a stack of Guitar Player from the 70s and seeing him mentioned in early interviews with Michael Schenker and Tony Iommi , figuring that if THESE guys were fans, he must be worth listening to. An older guy I didn't know very well (but to whom I'm grateful) had some of his records from the early 70s, when he was my age at the time (16). Hearing me play and knowing I was interested, he thought I should keep them (thank you, wherever you are). Among my hard rock and metal records from the 80s, I played along to this Woodstock-era song day after day, even though it wasn't metal (although the title 'Flowers of Evil' sounded heavy). I recognized a song I'd heard before: 'Mississippi Queen', of course, which was worthy of its hit status. However, I was fooled by those that rarely get radio play, like 'One Last Cold'.” 'Kiss', 'Crossroader', 'Never In My Life', and 'Nantucket Sleighride', for example. He was a 'pure' musician, just feel and tone. No high speed, advanced technique, effects, devices, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with those things (heck, I use them too), but it was refreshing to realize how much could be said with just a pair of hands through a good guitar and amp. Recently, I heard that he greatly regretted not appearing in the Woodstock on the advice of a manager. The reason: nobody was getting paid (except the headliner, a guy named Jimi [Hendrix] ). However, those who did appear in the film— Santana, Richie Havens, Ten Years After , etc., even Sha Na Na (a 50s cover show)—went on to have much more career visibility than those who didn't. If they had said "yes," many more people would have known the band Mountain and the name Leslie West. In the 1990s, Mountain was playing at Berkeley Square. (where I opened for him with a short-lived project), a place more suited to beginners, not a legend like him, who should be across the bay playing at The Fillmore. He was a really cool guy, fun to talk to and very humorous about his career path. Do yourself a favor, listen to the lesser-known songs. And if you play, learn some of his skills.”
Bruce Kulick : “I’m very sad about the loss of one of my greatest guitar heroes, Leslie West. His band Mountain was incredible, and his guitar tone was always a huge influence on me. I saw him live many times, and Grand Funk Railroad played shows with Leslie just as many. A great rock guitar legend. 2020 sucks.”
David Coverdale : “Rest in peace Leslie West… another sad loss… I never get tired of listening to The Mountain…”
Lita Ford : “Holding the Mississippi Queen! One of the greatest, true hard-core rock 'n' roll guitarists who ever lived! Never in my life have I met a legend like you. Great musicians never die. Rest in peace Leslie West.”
Gary Hoey : “So sad to hear about the passing of Leslie West. Leslie West was a force to be reckoned with. My thoughts are with his family, he is gone but he and his vibrato will not be forgotten, there was nothing like him. More 'Cow Bell'! Rest in peace.”
Vernon Reid : “One of the GREATEST OF ALL TIME. This year won't be looked upon fondly apart from weddings and births. Rest in the chords of power, Fatsby.”
