Blues musician B.B. King holds his award backstage after winning Best Traditional Blues Album with his record "One Kind of Favor" at the 51st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, in this file picture taken February 8, 2009. [Photo/Agencies]

In the 1960s, King enjoyed a resurgence as young British and American rockers discovered the blues as the roots of rock 'n' roll, building a new, mostly white following.

He won 15 Grammys, more than any other bluesman, starting in 1970 for the crossover pop hit "The Thrill Is Gone," according to the Recording Academy. In 1987, he received a lifetime award.

King was awarded the National Medal for the Arts in 1990.

His two marriages ended in divorce with no children but he acknowledged fathering 15 with different women.