Music world mourns Les Paul

Les Paul, the American guitarist responsible for the creation of the famous guitar of the same name, died yesterday in New York.

The world famous guitarist and instrument designer died of complications resulting from pneumonia yesterday in White Plains, New York, according to the Gibson company who have represented his guitars for almost fifty years.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Wisconsin, USA in 1915, the man created one of the first workable models of the electric guitar in the form of the famous 'Log' guitar. He went on to design a workable solid body electric guitar, one of the first workable models alongside other examples from Fender and Rickenbacher. His successful collaboration with the Gibson guitar company created the model that is so recognizable today, having been endorsed and played by generations of rock stars and millions of amateur players worldwide.

Some of the most famous faces associated with the Gibson Les Paul guitar include Slash, Paul McCartney, Pete Townsend, Jimmy Page, The Edge, Neil Young, Gary Moore and Steve Jones among literally countless others, much has been the enduring success of the model.

Aside from his success as a guitar designer, the man was a recognized musician in his own right, having scored several number one hits with singles he had written with his wife, Mar Forde. He was introduced into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Keith Richards has been amongst the galaxy of stars speaking out in praise of the man. "We must all own up that without Les Paul, generations of flash little punks like us would be in jail or cleaning toilets,” he said. “All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent.”

U2's The Edge also spoke out the what Les Paul leaves behind. "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on, and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."

The man's dedication to his craft was underlined when in 1948, after a debilitating car accident he instructed the doctor to set his broken arm into the correct angle for cradling and playing the guitar.