Rock – œn roll icon Bo Diddley has passed away in Florida aged 79. The hugely influential singer and performer is said to have died of heart failure, after first suffering a dehabilitating heart attack in August 2007.

Diddley, whose first single Bo Diddley was a runaway success in 1955, has been credited with inspiring artists as diverse as David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, The Raconteurs and The Rolling Stones. His rhythm guitar playing set a template for many others to follow. He also remained active on the live circuit into his 70s, and became a Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame inductee in 1987.

In the immortal words of the man himself: “I don’t like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it. I don’t have any idols I copy. They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there.”