Ten Years After guitarist and singer Alvin Lee has has died at the age of 68. A statement posted on his official website today reads:

With great sadness we have to announce that Alvin unexpectedly passed away early this morning after unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure.

We have lost a wonderful much loved father and companion, the world has lost a truly great and gifted musician.

Lee was born in Nottingham, England in 1944 and was inspired by early rock guitarists like Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore while he was a kid. He helped found the band Ten Years After in 1966, and the group was catapulted into fame after a stellar performance at the legendary Woodstock festival. Ten Years After broke up in 1974, but Lee continued to play as a solo artist and with a variety of other configurations. His most recent album, Still on the Road to Freedom, was released in 2012.