Watch Johnny Depp and Andrea Bocelli pay tribute to Jeff Beck – accompanied by a recording of the late guitar hero

Actor-turned-rockstar Johnny Depp has taken to the stage in Italy to pay tribute to Jeff Beck during an Andrea Bocelli concert.

Depp and Beck’s relationship ran deep, with the pair releasing and touring the album 18 together in 2022, in what proved to be Beck’s final LP.  

That record included a cover of John Lennon’s timeless Imagine, and original music, with This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr ushering a Bowie-meets-Lennon-esque performance from Depp.  

Legendary Italian tenor Bocelli, meanwhile, has been performing a three-day concert series in his hometown of Lajatico to celebrate his storied career. 

Depp joined Bocelli on stage on one of those nights, playing En Aranjuez Con Tu Amo, a track the pair performed with Beck in 2020. Beck’s playing from that night four years ago played over the PA for a faux trio that paid tribute to Beck’s legacy. 

Depp dons a nylon acoustic for the performance, up-picking his way through the song’s reserved rhythms with his fingers.

Depp may be more widely known for his acting skills, having charmed and thrilled on the big screen as everything from a Keith Richards-inspired pirate to depicting Willy Wonka and Edward Scissorhands. 

But he’s slowly established himself in the music industry, having recorded and performed live with Jeff Beck, and also played his role in The Hollywood Vampires alongside Joe Perry and Alice Cooper.  

All this despite the fact that A&R rep Tom Zutaut, better known as the man who discovered Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe, called Depp “the worst guitarist” he'd ever seen – although he admitted that his star power, even back then, was undeniable.