Duane Eddy, a pioneer of rock guitar famous for his twanging sound, and iconic, era-defining instrumentals like Rebel Rouser, has died at 86, the Arizona Republic reports. Eddy passed away at his home in Franklin, Tennessee, surrounded by family members.

Hugely influential to generations of rock guitar players, Eddy helped define an era, and establish the electric guitar as an instrument with a voice all its own. 

Born in Corning, New York in 1938, Eddy took up the guitar at a young age. Shortly after his family's move to Arizona in 1951, Eddy met a popular local DJ who would play a critical role in his career, Lee Hazlewood.