'Godfather of British Blues' John Mayall dies at 90 in California

July 24 (UPI) -- British blues great John Mayall has died in California at the age of 90. Mick Jagger mourned Mayall's passing, calling him a great pioneer of British blues.

A statement on his Instagram account said he passed away Monday.

"It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home," the statement said. "Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world's greatest road warriors."

Jagger's statement on his Instagram account said, "So sad to hear of John Mayall's passing. He was a great pioneer of British blues and had a wonderful eye for talented young musicians, including Mick Taylor - who he recommended to me after Brian Jones died - ushering in a new era for the Stones."

In 1963 Mayall's band the Bluesbreakers, formerly the Blues Syndicate, started performing regularly at London's Marquee Club.

His first album, John Mayall plays Mayall , was recorded live at West Hampstead R&B Club.

While that first recording was not a commercial success. Mayall added Eric Clapton to his band after Clapton left the Yardbirds, releasing the 1966 album Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton.

Mayall is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his Bluesbreakers band over the years included not only Clapton but also their Stones' Mick Taylor and several members of the future Fleetwood Mac, including John McVie and Mick Fleetwood .

Mayall's Instagram account statement added, "It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home... surrounded by his loving family."

After the Bluesbreakers formed in 1963, the band charted nearly 20 albums from 1968-75.

Among the band's biggest sellers was 1969's The Turning Point that went gold peaking on the charts at No. 32. The band's best-selling U.S. album was 1970's USA Union that reached No. 22.

Mayall was known as " the Godfather of British Blues." Born in 1933, Mayall played guitar, piano and harmonica in his youth.

He studied graphic design at Manchester Art School, moved to London and formed the Bluesbreakers while in his early thirties.

In comments to The Guardian in 2014, Mayall said, "The blues fitted in with the early '60s, the social way of life at the time. It happened here, rather than in America, because at the time, the scene in America was racially segregated-over there, never the twain would meet."

Mayall formed the Bluesbreakers with McVie, Peter Ward and others after moving to London in 1963.

Queen Elizabeth II made him an OBE, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2005. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016 and joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.