Chuck Berry, Rock and Roll Icon, Dead at 90

Chuck Berry died in his Missouri home at the age of 90 on Saturday—one of the pillars that created the foundation of rock and roll has fallen.

Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis in 1926, and it would be several years before he could play the guitar like ringing a bell. When he finally could, Berry would become revered for his fusion of blues and swing—which created what we know now as rock and roll.

Chuck Berry recorded more songs than one can count over a career that lasted more than seven decades, but it was in the 1950s that the Berry really made his mark. That's when he started playing music full time and working with Chess Records. At Chess, Berry would record "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Maybellene" and other songs that would influence artists generations over like Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and, honestly, probably any rock and roll band you've ever liked.

As Chuck Klosterman reminded us in a recent essay: "'If you tried to give rock and roll another name,' John Lennon famously said, 'you might call it Chuck Berry.'"

St. Charles County Police Department confirmed Berry's death on their Facebook page, though at the time of this writing the cause of death is as if yet unknown.

"Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques," reads their post. "Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m."

"The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry."

In 2016, Berry announced that he would be releasing his first album in 28 years—he was set to dedicate it to his wife of 68 years.

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