Mick Fleetwood Mourns the Death of His “Musical Father” and Former Bandmate

Many referred to John Mayall as “the godfather of the British blues.” However, some of music’s biggest names also saw him as a father figure. After the Bluesbreakers frontman died Monday (July 22) at age 90, Eric Clapton spoke of Mayall as “my mentor, and a surrogate father too.” Now the legendary Mick Fleetwood is sharing his relationship to the blues pioneer. And the Fleetwood Mac founder also looked to Mayall as a parental figure.

[RELATED: “Jamming With the Angels Now”: Watch Eric Clapton Perform “All Your Love” Alongside His Late Mentor John Mayall]

Mick Fleetwood Says John Mayall Had a Hand in Fleetwood Mac

Taking to Instagram Wednesday (July 24), Mick Fleetwood penned a heartfelt tribute to Mayall. The news of the blues icon’s passing “in many ways hit me as losing a musical father!!” wrote Fleetwood.

“John Mayall was a guiding light to so many of us young English players!” wrote the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

The Cornwall, England native formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in the ’60s. The band became somewhat of an incubator for British rock and blues musicians. That included the future Fleetwood Mac trio—Fleetwood, Peter Green, and John McVie.

“He is owed much gratitude from so many in the musical world,” Mick Fleetwood said.

Mayall’s death comes less than three months before the two-time GRAMMY nominee became an official member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The organization was set to induct Mayall into its ranks during an October ceremony.

“Mayall’s fingerprints are all over every blues based rock artist I know,” an Instagram user commented on Mick Fleetwood’s post. “Legend indeed.”

Steven Van Zandt Pays Tribute to John Mayall

Mick Fleetwood is far from the only rock-and-roll icon grieving the loss of John Mayall. Steven Van Zandt, of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, also paid tribute to the “godfather of the British blues.”

“Extraordinarily important Godfather of British Blues,” Van Zandt wrote Thursday (July 24) on X/Twitter. “Elevated Eric Clapton to permanent God status, gave us and Fleetwood Mac Peter Green, gave us and the Stones Mick Taylor, and left us lots and lots of soulful, diverse, great music.”

Another X/Twitter user agreed: “The blues is everything and he did it better than anyone.”

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