Leslie West, Mountain guitarist, dead at 75

26 December 2020

Leslie West, best known as the guitarist and co-vocalist of legendary Long Island, New York, hard rock pioneers MOUNTAIN, has died at the age of 75.

West suffered cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida, on December 21, and never regained consciousness.

West‘s brother, Larry West Weinstein, prefaced the news in a now-deleted Facebook post on Monday (December 21), which read: “I am asking for all your prayers. [Leslie’s wife] Jenni is by his side in Florida but it’s not looking good. Thanks Jenni, he wouldn’t have made it this far without you. His heart gave out and he’s on a ventilator. May not make it through the night.”

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was among the first rock stars to pay tribute to the influential guitarist, hailing West’s riff on MOUNTAIN’s hard rock standard Mississippi Queen, as “one of, if not the greatest, riff of all time.”

MOUNTAIN’s 1970 debut album, Climbing!, is acknowledged as one of the great cornerstones of American hard rock.