Leslie West, vocalist and guitarist of hard rock outfit Mountain, has passed away at age 75 after he went into cardiac arrest.

The musician's guitar riffs powered the hit band through their most well-known track, 'Mississippi Queen' and other rock anthems of the 1970s.

A spokesman, Steve Karas, confirmed the cause of death and location of Florida on December 23.

West had battled various health problems over the years, surviving bladder cancer in the early 2000s and endured a right leg amputation in 2011 due to complications of diabetes.

West was born Leslie Weinstein on October 22, 1945 and founded Mountain in 1969, alongside Cream associate and producer Felix Pappalardi, N.D. Smart and Steve Knight.

Co-written by West, the Southern rock track 'Mississippi Queen' appeared on Mountain’s 1970 debut album, Climbing!.

Mountain also had the distinguished honour of performing at Woodstock back in 1969, their fourth gig as a band.

The group joined a legendary lineup which featured Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin and others.

Mountain disbanded for the first time in 1972, before reforming periodically in the following years.

Slash, Paul Stanley of Kiss and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider have all paid tribute.

"Rest In Peace #LeslieWest. His guitar tone on “Mississippi Queen” is hands down the BADDEST guitar tone on record," Tom Morello tweeted.