Jon Lord, organ player for one of the most influential groups of all time in Deep Purple, has sadly passed away aged 71, and unsurprisingly the tributes have come flooding for a man who played a part in pioneering the beginning of the metal movement in rock music, most famously co-writing the band's biggest hit 'Smoke On The Water'.
"Rip Jon Lord - incredible organist for Deep Purple, one of my fave bands growing up" wrote Bryan Adams on Twitter, whilst friend and fellow keyboard player Rick Wakeman - formerly of the group Yes - said: "I was first made aware of Jon with Shades Of Deep Purple in the mid 1960s and I was a great fan. We became great friends and wrote stuff for (regular fundraising event) Sunflower Jam. And we were going to write and record an album before he become ill. His contribution to music and to classic rock was immeasurable and I will miss him terribly."
The tributes continued to flood in, with veteran DJ Bob Harris calling Lord "a gentleman" whilst pianist Jamie Cullum describing him rightfully as "a hero of the keys". His influence has stretched far beyond music though, something proven when actor Ewan McGregor tweeted: "Jon played with my great friend Tony Ashton. They'll be jamming upstairs now!" Lord had been fighting pancreatic cancer for over a year.