Bo Diddley

Rock pioneer Bo Diddley, whose famous beat became a building block of rock 'n' roll and ensured his status as one of its architects, died early Monday at his home near Archer.

The 79-year-old guitarist/singer/songwriter died from heart failure, said his spokeswoman Susan Clary.

With Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, Diddley became one of the architects of rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s. The guitarist/singer/songwriter scored major pop hits with "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man" in 1955 on Chicago's Chess Records, and drew attention to rock 'n' roll's backbeat on a label primarily known for the blues.

From there, his "dunt da dunt da dunt, da dunt dunt" beat became an integral - and instantly identifiable - part of rock 'n' roll's grammar. And his sound influenced artists in styles as diverse as rockabilly, punk, hip-hop, British invasion pop and others.

The "Bo Diddley beat" could be heard in countless rock and pop hits, from Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and The Who's "Magic Bus," to Elvis Presley's "His Latest Flame," Tom Petty's "American Girl," George Michael's "Faith" and Bruce Springsteen's "She's the One."

Though he continued to record and perform in the 1960s, Diddley spent several years in the 1970s working as a deputy sheriff in Los Lunas, N.M., said Mitchell, his grandson who follows in his grandfather's footsteps both by recording a song with him ("Kids Don't Do It" on Diddley's "A Man Amongst Men" in 1996) and as a lawman by working as a deputy for the Levy County Sheriff's Office.

"He was actually a gunslinger for real; he had a six-shooter," Mitchell said.

After moving to Alachua County in 1978, Diddley's homes in North Central Florida ranged from a log house on a 72-acre spread in Hawthorne to a doublewide mobile home in Levy County. When asked why he chose North Central Florida, Diddley was succinct and sincere.

"The living is easy here, and the people are very nice," he told The Sun in 2003.