Neil Young - Young's Guitarist Dead At 73

NEIL YOUNG's longtime steel guitarist BEN KEITH has died, aged 73.

Keith played alongside the rocker for close to 40 years and also performed on Young classics like Heart of Gold and Old Man.

Young acknowledged Keith's passing onstage during a show in Winnipeg, Canada on Monday night (26Jul10), stating, "This is for Ben Keith. His spirit will live on." The rock legend then performed an emotionally-charged rendition of Old Man.

Before Keith became Young's sideman, the multi-instrumentalist was a member of Nashville's 'A-Team' - a collective of the city's top session musicians who performed on country classics sung by the likes of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline.

Keith first met Young when he was drafted in to the rocker's band for an appearance on the Johnny Cash Show, according to RollingStone.com.

He last performed with Young at the rocker's annual Bridge School Benefit in October (09).