Johnny Depp.Photo:UnBoxPHD / SplashNews.com
UnBoxPHD / SplashNews.com
Fresh off anappearance at the Cannes Film Festival,Johnny Deppstepped back into the spotlight Monday night for a tribute concert in honor of his late friendJeff Beck.
Depp, 59, took the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall alongside heavyweights likeRod Stewart,Eric ClaptonandRonnie Woodto pay tribute to the guitarist, who died in January at age 78.
“Fantastic evening last night for our mate Jeff, lots of lovely players, friends, and family in attendance. Looking forward to doing it all over again tonight! 🕺” Stewart captioned the post.
Depp and Beck were close friends, and had toured together andreleased a collaborative albumtitled18. The actor has even said that Beck and his wife Sandra let him live with them for several months before the tour began.
Asource told PEOPLEin January that Depp was among those who had visited Beck at his bedside before his death.
Johnny Depp.UnBoxPHD / SplashNews.com
“They had a really tight friendship, they were extremely close, and he got even closer over this past summer when they were touring together,” the source said. “The sickness came on really quickly and it all deteriorated rapidly in the last couple weeks… Johnny is still processing the news. He’s devastated.”
Depp recently appeared at Cannes in France, where his new French-language filmJeanne Du Barrypremiered last week, nearly one year after his controversial defamation trial with ex-wifeAmber Heardcame to a close.
He also addressed the idea of making a “comeback” following both the Heard case and a 2020 libel case in London, and told reporters, “I never went anywhere.”
“I keep wondering about the word comeback because I didn’t go anywhere,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I live about 45 minutes away. So yeah, maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But no, I didn’t go nowhere. I’ve been sitting around.”
A source close to the actor told PEOPLE this week thatDepp “is doing fantastic"a year removed from the trial.
“He really enjoys working and touring again. He has managed to turn his life around,” the source said. “He is prioritizing his health and work. He was living a destructive life and people close to him were concerned. Everyone is excited about how he turned things around. He is much happier too.”
source: people.com
