Guitarist Big Jim Sullivan dies at 71

LONDON -- Acclaimed session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, who played on dozens of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, his wife said Thursday. He was 71.

Norma Sullivan said that Sullivan had died at their home in West Sussex, England, on Tuesday. He suffered from heart disease and diabetes and had stopped performing live recently because of his health problems.

Sullivan played with many of the biggest names in British pop at the height of the "Swinging London" era.

Along with Jimmy Page, who would later star in Led Zeppelin, Sullivan was one of the most in-demand session guitarists of his era. His website lists sessions with the Tom Jones, Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, Gerry and the Pacemakers and many others. He claimed to have played on more than 1,000 singles that entered the British charts.

He was known for his mastery of a wide variety of styles, from hard rock to country to blues.

-- AP