BO DIDDLEY 1928-2008

They say death comes in threes, so now after the death of Yves Saint Laurent comes the death of rock & roll pioneer Bo Diddley.

Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida at the age of 79. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

Diddley was known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat. He was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.

Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Mississippi, Diddley was given his name as a child, and the name stuck. His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits. His rhythmic style influenced musicians shuch as Prince, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. He wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.

"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."

"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.

Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke.

Another musical icon is gone, rest in peace Bo Diddley.