B.B. King Tribute: 10-Year-Old Guitarist Toby Lee Plays "The Thrill Is Gone" — Video

Here's one we intended to share last month, when blues legend B.B. King was still in hospice, suffering from diabetes-related health issues.

It's a clip of 10-year-old U.K. guitarist Toby Lee performing an instrumental version of King's "The Thrill Is Gone" as a get-well tribute to his favorite guitarist.

The video went viral, thanks to Joe Bonamassa and Gibson Guitar, both of whom shared the touching clip via social media. At this point, the video has been watched more than 5 million times.

"I put up a tribute to B.B. King because at that moment he was my favorite guitarist," Toby said. "Joe Bonamassa helped. He's also one of my favorite guitarists, and he's really, really good, and I nearly fell down the stairs because I was so shocked [that he shared it]."

King died May 14 at age 89.

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.