Duane Eddy, legendary 'twangy' guitarist famous for Peter Gunn theme and Rebel Rouser, dies at 86

Duane Eddy, the pioneering rock guitarist known for his instrumental 'twang', died on Tuesday at the age of 86.

The Grammy-winning musician passed away from cancer in Franklin, Tennessee, surrounded by family, according to wife Deed Abbate.

'Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakeable signature 'Twang' sound,' a rep told Variety. 'He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.'

The musician gained fame with a string of instrumental hits in the late '50s and early '60s including the theme to TV series Peter Gunn and Rebel Rouser.

He's recognized as the most commercially successful instrumental artist in rock 'n' roll history, with 16 top-40 singles, and 100 million records sold worldwide. 

Duane Eddy, the pioneering rock guitarist known for his instrumental 'twang', died on Tuesday at the age of 86; seen in 1960

The Grammy-winning musician passed away from cancer in Franklin, Tennessee , surrounded by family, according to wife Deed Abbate; Duane and Deed in 2018

'I had a distinctive sound that people could recognize and I stuck pretty much with that. I'm not one of the best technical players by any means; I just sell the best,' he told The Associated Press in a 1986 interview. 

'A lot of guys are more skillful than I am with the guitar. A lot of it is over my head. But some of it is not what I want to hear out of the guitar.' 

'Twang' defined Eddy's sound from his first album, Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel, to his 1993 box set, Twang Thang: The Duane Eddy Anthology. 

'It's a silly name for a nonsilly thing,' Eddy told the AP in 1993. 

'But it has haunted me for 35 years now, so it's almost like sentimental value — if nothing else.' 

He gained induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

Eddy recorded over 50 albums, including several reissues. From the 1980s onward, he scaled back his work, stating in 1986 that he was 'living off my royalties.' 

Born on April 26, 1938, in Corning, New York, Eddy began playing guitar at the tender age of five. As a teenager, he relocated with his family to Arizona. 

In Coolidge, Arizona, Eddy crossed paths with DJ Lee Hazlewood, who produced the budding guitarist's breakthrough single Rebel Rouser in 1958. 

A year later, Eddy achieved another hit with his rendition of Henry Mancini's theme song for the private eye television series, Peter Gunn. 

He also scored theme music for movies including Because They're Young, Pepe and Gidget Goes Hawaiian. 

The musician gained fame with a string of instrumental hits in the late '50s and early '60s including the theme to TV series Peter Gunn and Rebel Rouser; seen in 1961

Eddy recorded over 50 albums, including several reissues. From the 1980s onward, he scaled back his work, stating in 1986 that he was 'living off my royalties,' seen in 1986

He gained induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; seen in 2023

Eddy's distinctive style left a lasting impression on younger British musicians like George Harrison of The Beatles and Hank Marvin of The Shadows, as well as inspiring numerous instrumental surf bands that emerged in Southern California during the early '60s, per Variety. 

Later on, Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to Eddy's aggressive guitar approach through the expansive sound of Born to Run.

 Eddy underwent a brief but notable resurgence in the late '80s, marked by his collaboration with Art of Noise on a synthesizer-heavy remake of Peter Gunn.

This updated version soared to the top 10 in the UK charts and clinched the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental in 1986.