In a piece of unfortunate news, rock and roll forefather Bo Diddley died of heart failure today after battling ill health for the past several months. He was 79.

Bo Diddley, born Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928 and later known as Ellis McDaniel after being adopted by his mother's cousin, started learning violin at age five and moved onto guitar at age 10. Not more than a few years later, he was already playing Chicago's Maxwell Street.

From there, Diddley went on to originate the early foundations of rock music. His famous "Bo Diddley" beat, also known as the "Shave and a Haircut" beat or the Hambone beat, has gone on to be prevalent in rock music today. Bo had an aesthetically interesting homemade guitar, rectangular in shape, that was later manufactured by Gretsch.

Bo Diddley admittedly never broke the bank, thanks in large part to flat rates without royalties for his recordings, but his achievements were highly recognized. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and won a lifetime achievement award at the 1999 Grammy Awards.

Though much of his influence will live on through rock music, Bo Diddley's passing is a tremendous loss in the world of music.