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Texas blues icon Johnny Winter passed away yesterday in his hotel room in Zurich, Switzerland. He was 70 years old.

Born in Beaumont, TX in 1944, Winter rose to prominence as a blues guitarist in the late 1960s and ’70s. He developed a reputation for his high-energy live shows, and was one of many legendary artists to perform at the original Woodstock festival in 1969. A longtime fan of Muddy Waters, Winter would go on to produce three Grammy-winning albums for the guitarist— 1977’s Hard Again, 1978’s I’m Ready and 1979’s Muddy “Mississippi” Waters – Live.

In recent years, Winter continued playing shows around the world, including performances at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and sit ins with the Allman Brothers Band during their 40th anniversary Beacon Theater run. He also released a few albums, including 2004’s I’m A Bluesman and 2011’s Roots, and celebrated his 70th birthday with a number of special guests at the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City. He was also set to release a new album, Step Back, on September 2.