Chris Dreja dead: Yardbirds legend and Eric Clapton's bandmate dies as tributes flood in

Legendary rhythm guitarist and bassist for the Yardbirds Chris Dreja has died at the age of 79, just weeks before his 80th birthday, following a long health struggle. The news was confirmed by his sister-in-law Muriel Levy in a post on Threads. Alongside throwback pictures of the iconic musician she wrote: "This is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band The Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player has passed away after years of health problems... I share the pain with my sister Kate who took care of him during all those years and his daughter Jackie... May he RIP."

Chris was a founding member of the band who formed in the south-west London suburbs in 1963. The original line up also featured Anthony "Top" Topham, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty. Chris continued to play with a version of the group until just over a decade ago when a series of strokes in 2012 and 2013 left him unable to play and forced his retirement.

The Yardbirds are considered one of the most influential bands of their era. They first found success with Eric Clapton on guitar for their first major hit, For Your Love" in 1965. Eric left the band shortly after their breakthrough and was replaced by Jeff Beck.

In 1966, Jimmy Page joined the group, initially as bassist before switching to twin lead guitar with Jeff. When Jeff left Jimmy took over as the sole guitarist but by 1968 the group was dissolving and Jimmy regrouped them as Led Zeppelin.

Chris turned down the opportunity to join them as he wanted to pursue a career in photography. He would later photograph Led Zeppelin for the back cover of their debut album. He also photographed artists such as Bob Dylan, the Righteous Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner during his career.

In the 1980s he played in the Yardbirds spin-off band Box of Frogs and he was part of the reformed Yardbirds' from 1992 to 2013. In 1992 The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with nearly all the surviving musicians who had been part of the band's heyday, including Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, appearing at the ceremony. In 2002, they released a new album, Birdland.

Tributes flooded in for the star as news of his death broke.

"Sorry to hear this sad news. Saw The Yardbirds a few years ago with The Zombies. It was a wonderful evening and no mere nostalgia trip. RIP," one fan wrote.

Another posted on Threads: "A guitarist in one of the most underrated bands of their time IMHO and a favourite of mine.
He'll be playing melodies with Jeff now in heaven.

"Sorry to hear it. They were an original supergroup - with so many legendary guitarists passing through their lineup," another added.

Another chimed in: "He was awesome and the Yardbirds meant the world to me. They opened my teenage mind to the "Rave Up" and my teenage years were spent learning every song, searching for "Golden Eggs" and adoring Jeff, Chris, Paul, Keith and Jim.
RIP Chris Dreja."