Johnny Depp, Eric Clapton and Sir Rod Stewart expected to perform at Jeff Beck tribute concerts

Johnny Depp, Eric Clapton and Sir Rod Stewart are expected to perform at the Royal Albert Hall as part of two concerts paying tribute to Jeff Beck.

The legendary rock guitarist died in January at the age of 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis.

Beck’s widow Sandra Cash and guitarist Clapton have announced two concerts to honour Beck’s memory.

The concerts will take place on 22 and 23 May and will feature performances from a number of high-profile musicians.

In addition to Depp, Clapton and Sir Rod, artists who have reportedly indicated their interest to be involved include Doyle Bramhall, Gary Clark Jr, Billy Gibbons, Imelda May, John McLaughlin, Robert Randolph, Joss Stone, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

The final line-up is set to be confirmed nearer to the performances.

Shortly before his death, Beck had finished touring his latest album 18, which he recorded with Depp.

The decision to collaborate on the album shortly after the Hollywood actor’s defamation battle with ex-wife Amber Heard drew to a close made headlines.

Depp joined Beck on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2022, while waiting for the verdict of the trial.

The pair first met in 2016 and began recording the album in 2019 while Depp was also playing with Alice Cooper’s supergroup Hollywood Vampires.

Beck first came to prominence as a member of The Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, blues and even opera.

He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his favourite guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

In a career spanning six decades, Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, with The Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo artist in 2009.

He played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May and Cyndi Lauper.

Fans are able to register for pre-sale tickets for the Beck tribute concerts, which will go on sale on 14 March at 10am.

Tickets for the concerts will go on general sale on 15 March at 10am.

Surplus income from the concerts will be donated to the Folly Wildlife Rescue, based in Tunbridge Wells.