Bo Diddley, one of the creators of rock’n’roll and a highly influential artist, died Monday of a heart failure in his home in Archer, Florida, at the age of 79. The singer had also suffered a stroke while on tour last year in August, which resulted in him developing a speech impediment.

The late Bo Diddley, even not as well known like his rivals Chuck Berry or Muddy Watters, had influenced legions of musicians, who borrowed both something of his style and some of his tunes to become famous. Some of them, like the Rolling Stones, or the Birds, liked the rhythm of his guitar and used it as a starting point for their well known original styles. Others, like Hendrix, were more influenced by the effects Bo Diddley used on his electric guitar, and the tones the guitarist got from his instrument.

The musician grew up in Chicago when, after learning violin at a local Baptist Church, he took on the guitar to make some money at the corners of the city’s streets. It was with this occasion that he met Jerome Green, a maraca player, and Billy Boy Arnold, who played blues harmonica, and got a deal with Chess-Checkers records.

The artist’s most prolific period were the mid ‘50s to the mid ‘60s, when most of his hits, like ‘I’m a Man,’ ‘Mona,’ ‘You Don’t Love Me,’ or ‘You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,’ were recorded.

The artist was never rich, partly because he never knew to negotiate deals, partly because when he became famous, musicians were paid a fixed sum for the recordings and nothing besides. Diddley had to tour the country until late in his 70s in order to make a living.