Blues musician Johnny Winter has died at the age of 70.

Johnny Winter – hailed as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time – rose to fame in the 1970s, including memorable collaborations with his mentor Muddy Waters.

The blues guitarist passed away in Zurich earlier this week, just days after playing at the Lovely Days Festival in Austria.

He recently said he just wanted to be remembered as “a good blues musician”.

The Texas star said he knew he wanted to be a musician from the age of 12.

Hailed as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Johnny Winter rose to fame in the 1970s (photo Getty Images)

Johnny Winter began his musical career on the clarinet, and then the ukulele, before moving on to the guitar.

His breakthrough came in 1968, at the age of 24, after opening for Mike Bloomfield. It saw him singled out by Rolling Stone as one of the best blues guitarists on the Texas scene.

The surge of interest in his career sparked a bidding war, with Columbia Records eventually offering him a substantial contract.

Johnny Winter worked with some of the greatest bluesmen, producing several albums for his childhood hero Waters – with whom he won a number of Grammys.

He also played with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, who reportedly became his lover.

In 1976, Johnny Winter teamed up with his brother Edgar Winter, a fellow musician, for the live album Together.

Johnny Winter was due to release a new album entitled Step Back on September 2.

[youtube XooErebLW40 650]