BB King performs on stage at Capital Jazz Festival, London, 1982. Photo / Getty Images
BB King performs on stage at Capital Jazz Festival, London, 1982. Photo / Getty Images
B.B. King's physician and the coroner in Las Vegas say the 89-year-old blues legend died of a series of small strokes attributable to his longstanding battle with type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Darin Brimhall and Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg (FYOU'-den-berg) tell The Associated Press the medical term for the cause of death is multi-infarct dementia.
It's sometimes referred to as MID, and is also called vascular dementia.
Dementia is a permanent loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases, including diabetes. It usually affects adults over age 55, and can affect memory, thinking, language and judgment.
Brimhall says King's strokes resulted from reduced blood flow as a consequence of chronic diabetes " or unhealthy fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Within an hour of news of his death, top artists including Bryan Adams and Dan Sultan were out in force to pay tribute to one of their legends.
"Thank you Mr King. R.I.P x" Aussie Dan Sultan posted to his Twitter and Facebook page.
"So sad to hear that BB King has passed away, a true inspiration, pioneer and legend," INXS drummer, Jon Farriss, tweeted.
Fellow Aussie musician and TV presenter, David Campbell, paid homage to King with a tweet and a lengthy post on Facebook about how the blues artist influenced him.
"RIP Blues legend BB King. Pioneer and legend," Campbell tweeted.
On Facebook, he posted a video of King teaming up with U2 on When Love Comes To Town in 1988, explaining where this performance led him.
"It feels strange putting this video up but this is how I learned about the King of the Blues. Soon after this album, this teenager went down to the crossroads and explored more blues especially this guy's. So vale to the great man," he posted.
BB King at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. Photo / Getty Images
The Weekly presenter, Charlie Pickering, said King's autobiography Blues All Around Me was "the worst autobiography I've ever read" in an interview with Fairfax in 2006.
He even read extracts from the book he found bizarre during some of his stand-up shows, but acknowledged his musical genius in his tribute.
"BB King- I've had a lot of fun with his book, but I will always find joy in his blues. #ThrillIsGone" Pickering tweeted.
