A Look Inside Johnny Depp's Close Friendship With Jeff Beck

It's been reported that Johnny Depp is grief-stricken after the tragic death of his friend Jeff Beck. On January 11, it was announced via Beck's Instagram that Beck sadly died the day prior "after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis." A source spoke to People on January 11 about Depp's reaction to Beck's death and said that he "is totally devastated."

In addition, they stated that Depp and "some other rock stars" were "by Jeff's bedside" prior to the legendary musician's death. The source discussed how Depp and Beck had become devoted friends and added that Depp "is still processing this news" of Beck's death following Beck quickly becoming ill. "They had a really tight friendship, they were extremely close, and he got even closer over this past summer when they were touring together," the source said. "The sickness came on really quickly, and it all deteriorated rapidly in the last couple weeks." Before Beck's untimely death, the pair had publicly opened up about their friendship.

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck formed a deep bond in recent years. As Billboard noted in June 2022, the duo first became acquainted in 2016 and established a fast friendship. The news outlet shared a quote from a press release that said Depp and Beck connected while discussing "cars and guitars," and they also "spent most of their time together trying to make each other laugh." By 2019, the pair had begun recording music. The New York Post wrote in June 2022 that Depp and Beck were going to be releasing a 13-song album called "18" on July 15. 

 After completing a U.K. tour, Depp and Beck embarked on a U.S. tour in October 2022 to sing tracks from the album, per Variety. These consisted of cover songs, as well as two original songs that were composed by Depp. The two appeared for a SiriusXM interview in October 2022, during which they were asked the best part about touring together again. Depp revealed that, before their first tour, Beck and Beck's wife "took [him] into their house" for many months. Once the performing began, Depp felt at ease being on stage with Beck. "It's like you're home, and you feel at home. Like, where I can actually be me," Depp said. Over the course of their six-year companionship, Depp and Beck remained supportive of each other.

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck shared a meaningful companionship. When he chatted with  ET Canada in June 2022, Beck said that he and Depp began doing cover music when Depp invited him to visit his home in France. The guitarist added that he and Depp felt as close as family members early on in their friendship. "He was just like a brother straight away," Beck said of Depp. "We laughed and didn't stop laughing for the last six years." 

In a Hollywood Authentic interview posted in October 2022, Depp opened up about how Beck and his wife, Sandra, were encouraging and loyal toward him during periods of unrest in his life. "There's a couple who very much helped to keep alive and sane and happy through the weirdness," Depp said. "And that's Jeff and Sandra." He later added of his closeness to Beck, "Once you've connected on some sort of level, and you've become that tight, you practically don't have to say anything. It's an eyeball glance, and you're both on the floor laughing." As reported by Ultimate Classic Rock, Beck's final live show took place in November 2022 in Reno, Nevada, in which he and Depp performed side by side.