Leslie West, Mountain Guitarist and Co-Vocalist, Dies at 75

Leslie West, the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of ’70s heavyweight hard rock outfit Mountain, has died at the age of 75, a statement from his rep confirms.

Earlier in the week, West’s brother Larry posted on social media that West’s heart had given out and was on a ventilator at Advent Health in Palm Coast, Florida.

West’s guitar company, Dean Guitars, was first to confirm the news of West’s death, though no other details were available.

West, born Leslie Weinstein in New York City on Oct. 22, 1945, was one of rock’s great guitar players. He started his career in the 1960s with the Vagrants before forming Mountain with Felix Pappalardi and adding in keyboardist Steve Knight and N.D. Smart on drums. They were joined by longtime drummer Corky Laing in 1969. With the lineup’s blend of blues and hard rock, Mountain ushered in a new era of heavy rock and are considered one of the pioneering metal bands, even opening for Black Sabbath on their first U.S. tour.

The band’s biggest hit was 1970’s “Mississippi Queen.” The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and more recently, was covered by Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin as part of their Hanukkah Sessions series.

In 2011, West had his lower right leg amputated due to a battle with diabetes. West continued to perform live after the surgery.

As expected, a number of rock luminaries paid tribute to the late guitarist.

@lwestmountain Leslie West of Mountain is gone. His music remains but his amazing spirit is no more. I'm at a loss for words right now…and that says a lot. RIP my friend.

— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) December 23, 2020

West is survived by his wife Jenni, whom he married on stage after Mountain’s performance at the Woodstock 40th Anniversary concert in 2009, his brother Larry and nephew Max.