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Thursday, February 06, 2025

Rock 'n' roll pioneer Bo Diddley, 79, dies in Archer

Bo Diddley, a pioneer and patriarch of the pounding pulse of rock 'n' roll, died Monday in his Archer home of heart failure. He was 79.

Born in McComb, Miss., as Otha Ellas Bates, Diddley went on to alter not only his guitar - he played a rectangular one - but also the sound of rock 'n' roll.

Diddley's famous "bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp" rhythm is imitated in many rock hits like Tom Petty's "American Girl, " The Who's "Magic Bus" and Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One."

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and awarded both a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards.

Diddley, who lived in the Gainesville area for more than 20 years, was known in the community for his kindness, said Buster Lipham, owner of Lipham Music, where Diddley frequently shopped.

Diddley occasionally played at schools and fundraisers around Gainesville, Lipham said.

"He was always in here looking for the latest music technology," he said. "That was Bo. Always inventing. Always doing something before everybody else."

Lipham, who proudly displays the cherry-red rectangular guitar Diddley signed and gave him for his birthday eight years ago, said Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" is one of his favorite songs.

"One time," Lipham said, "he brought in this lip-smackin'-good barbecue chicken, his mother's recipe. We always joked he shoulda gone into the chicken business instead."

Tom Holtz, who has worked at Lipham's Music for more than 20 years, said he thought Diddley's work is underappreciated because so many artists covered his songs and used his beats.

"He's one of the originals," Holtz said. "There wasn't anything stuck-up about him. He just loved music."

Plans for Diddley's funeral could not be determined by press time.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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