Riley B. King, more commonly known as B. B. King or the "King of the Blues," now rests in peace. On Thursday at 9:40 p.m. PDT, King died peacefully in his sleep at his Las Vegas home. He was 89 years old.

B. B. King's scorching guitar skills as well as his exceptional vocals led him to become the world's most famous blues musician and the idol of musicians and fans of different generations.

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News of B. B. King's death was announced by Brent Bryson, his attorney. Bryson added that funeral arrangements were under way.

The death had been confirmed by Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg.

B. B. King's career in music continued well into his 80s. However, last year, he had suffered diabetes, and his health started to decline.

Last October, the 15-time Grammy winner collapsed during a concert in Chicago. Although he later blamed dehydration and exhaustion for the incident, he announced two weeks ago that he had been in home hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, CNN reported.

With a career spanning nearly 70 years, the "King of the Blues" was able to mentor countless guitarists including Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, John Mayall, and Keith Richards. He was also able to record more than 50 albums while touring the world until his 80s. He reportedly performed at 250 or more concerts in a year.

King learned how to play guitar through his preacher uncle and later honed his technique despite poverty in the Mississippi Delta, also known as the birthplace of the blues.

"I've always tried to defend the idea that the blues doesn't have to be sung by a person who comes from Mississippi, as I did," King said in the 1988 book "Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music." "People all over the world have problems," he said. "And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die."

In 1984, he was welcomed in the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received the Songwriters Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Former President George W. Bush. He also gave a guitar to Pope John Paul II and made President Barack Obama sing along to his song "Sweet Home Chicago."

During his lifetime, King had a total of 15 biological and adopted children, and 11 of them are still alive, as reported by Associated Press.

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