Nokie Edwards, guitarist for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Ventures, has died at the age of 82, the band confirmed.
“We have been advised this morning that Nokie Edwards passed away today after several months battling an infection after hip surgery this past December,” a statement on the band’s website reads. “The Ventures family feels this loss very deeply: Nokie has been part of the Ventures’ history for almost six decades and helped to shape the early Ventures’ sound and the success of their career. He was an innovator and one of the greats on guitar, so much so that he influenced many young players over the course of his career.”