Julian Bream, the British classical guitarist, died at the age of 87 “peacefully” in his own home. Monty Don took to Twitter and posted an emotional tribute to the musician following the news of his death.
The 65-year-old praised Julian for being a “lovely man” and recalled a moment the pair shared together 40 years ago.
In view of his 194,000 Twitter followers, Monty penned: “Sorry to hear of the death of the great Julian Bream. 40 years ago I played cricket with him.
“He wore batting gloves in the field to protect his fingers.”
The BBC favourite added: “His cricket relied more on enthusiasm than skill but he was a sublime musician and lovely man.”
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Fans flocked to comment on the post, as many people offered their condolences.
One person said: “His recordings of Dowland’s lute music once on vinyl then on tape then on CD now in the Cloud delight me to this day. I remember listening to them in my room in the Lutyens Building in Magdalene.”
Another person commented: “For any classical guitarist, this is an incredibly sad day. He was an inspiration to so many, myself included. His legacy is profound, and his passion for music will forever accompany us on our own musical journeys.”
While a third Twitter user added: “Sad day. Almost solely responsible for the resurgence of lute music. Never lost his Battersea accent either. A great man and musician.”
While his father taught him the basics of guitar, he then read instruction books by Eddie Lang to improve on his talent.
When Julian was 12-years-old, he won a junior exhibition award for playing the piano, which led him to study piano and composition at the Royal College of Music.
The classical music legend’s first tour around Europe took place in 1954, which was followed by his tour around the Far East, India, and Australia.
Julian married Isabel Sanchez in 1980 and was previously married to Margaret, daughter of the writer Henry Williamson.
Elsewhere, Monty Don has spoken about the perils of living in a timber-framed house on social media.
The television star revealed the damage to his home and garden online following a huge rainstorm which came after the UK heatwave.
Monty wrote on Twitter: “Huge rainstorm last night – battered and bashed everything but that is a fair price for the watering and relief from the heat.”
“Only trouble is we have a GW magazine photoshoot this afternoon – so frantic repair work going on first,” he told his followers.