Chuck Berry, rock pioneer, dead at 90: Police

Legendary guitarist and rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry has passed away at the age of 90, police said Saturday.

The musical icon was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon shortly after authorities responded to an emergency call in St. Charles County, Mo., according to law enforcement.

“St. Charles County police responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road at approximately 12:40 p.m. today (Saturday, March 18). Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques. Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m.” the department said through its Facebook page early Saturday evening.

“The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry.”

Berry’s family requests privacy during their time of bereavement, the statement said.

Born in 1926 in St. Louis, Berry began performing publicly as a teenager prior to cutting albums for Chess Records beginning in 1955. His combination of twangy guitar licks with rhythm and blues quickly set the mold for other musicians during the early days of rock and roll, and helped bridge the gap between the genre’s first wave and the imminent British invasion. Indeed, Berry’s tunes — notably “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Sweet Little Sixteen” — were covered by the Beatles a decade later, in addition to his own renditions being widely regarded on their own right.

Rolling Stone magazine previously ranked “Johnny B. Goode” number seven on its list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”