Pentangle founder and British folk icon John Renbourn has died aged 70 at home.
Renbourn was due to play at the The Ferry in Glasgow on Wednesday night alongside fellow folk guitarist Wizz Jones. He was subsequently found at his home where he is thought to have died from a heart attack.
As the Guardian reports, Renbourn's manager Dave Smith described his charge as “He was just larger than life. Game for anything. He was just finishing off a tour with Wizz Jones – and was looking forward to the next. He was a great teacher – he was always putting himself down as a teacher and running weekend workshops all over Europe, where he would have students come and learn from him.”
Tributes have been posted on Twitter. David Crosby said that he "loved his playing" while Wild Beats said simply: "Here's to John Renbourn. :-("
Both Lauren Laverne and Cerys Matthews also offered their own memories:
First Bert, now John Renbourn has left us. Sad news. Some beautiful music up there tonight, I hope. https://t.co/ivJLCIxRaz
— Lauren Laverne (@laurenlaverne) March 26, 2015
So sorry and sad to hear of John Renbourn's passing. A loving, lovely man. RIP John, it was an honour and pleasure meeting you.
— Cerys Matthews (@cerysmatthews) March 26, 2015
In a lengthy post on Bert Jansch's official facebook, Jansch's team also paid tribute: "John Renbourn’s sudden passing is a devastating loss to his family, friends and music in general. Throughout the 1960s, John and Bert were often inseparable, spurring each other to ever greater heights, first on 1966's Bert & John, then on the genre-defying albums of Pentangle. Reconciled in 2007 for the Pentangle reunion at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, they then often spent happy hours tinkering away in Bert’s home studio and reviewing the live recordings from Pentangle’s 2008 tour. After Bert’s passing, John remained a great champion of Bert’s work and an active supporter of The Bert Jansch Foundation. We were delighted when he devised one of his renowned Renbourn Guitar Workshops entirely about Bert’s music in 2014. Thanks to the RGW team, we were able to offer a Bert Jansch Foundation Scholarship for a young musician to attend the course. Among John’s many plans this year, which was celebrating his 50th anniversary, was an additional week-long workshop exclusively for applicants for this scholarship as the field was so strong. Like Bert, John never stopped – still touring, playing, teaching, sharing right up to his final days. He wasn’t done yet and his loss will be felt by many for a long time to come."
In 2007, the original members of the Pentangle reunited to receive a Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
