Fellow Rockers Pay Tribute to Rock & Roll Star Jon Lord [VIDEO]

Jon Lord who is a legend among rockers and has greatly contributed to the heavy metal sound lost the battle to cancer yesterday (July 16) at the age of 71. Fellow rockers have taken to the web to express their condolences for the loss of a dear friend.

Slash who is a big fan of Deep Purple wrote, "[It's a] sad day in rock and roll; Jon Lord has passed on. One of the biggest, baddest, heaviest sounds in heavy metal. One of a kind."

David Coverdale of Whitesnake expressed, "It was an absolute joy and pleasure for me to know him and to work alongside him. He is missed already."

Lord inspired many musicians including Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess who said, "I'm very sad to hear about the passing of Jon Lord. He was an inspiration to me!"

RIP the great Jon Lord, Deep Purple's cornerstone/keyboardist," shared Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine. "So many great, great songs and that incredible SOUND of his! Thank you."

"[I was] very sad to hear of Jon's death, following his battle with the demon cancer. [He was] one of the great musicians of my generation. Tony Iommi recently worked with Jon, and said what a lovely bloke he was. I met him a few times, but never got to work with him. Blessings," said Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler.

It was a sad day in rock & roll however, as the statement on Lord's website read, "Jon passes from Darkness to Light."