Chuck Berry has died at the age of 90.

The musical icon passed away after being found at his home in Missouri.

A statement from St Charles County police confirmed the sad news and revealed that he was found lifeless at home.

They said: "St Charles County police responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road at approximately 12:40 p.m. today (Saturday, March 18).

"Inside the home, first responders observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques. Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26 p.m.

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"The St Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry.



"The family requests privacy during this time of bereavement."

Chuck leaves behind wife Toddy and four children, Charles Berry Jr., Ingrid Berry, Aloha Berry and Melody Exes Berry-Eskridge.

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The rock n' roll legend - known as the father of that movement - had been producing music since the 1950s and wrote pioneering tracks such as Johnny B Goode.

His first No.1 came in 1972 with My Ding-a-Ling.

He was the great-grandchild of African-American slaves, and his parents, Martha and Henry Berry, migrated from the South during World War I to St Louis in search of work.

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Chuck's early childhood was in the deeply segregated community of St Louis, where he didn't encounter a single white person until the age of three, when he spotted white firefighters putting out a blaze.

''I thought they were so frightened that their faces were whitened from fear of going near the big fire,'' he once told an interviewer.

''Daddy told me they were white people, and their skin was always white that way, day or night."

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Chuck, the fourth of six children, turned to teenage rebellion at the age of 17 and, having dropped out of school, embarked on a road trip to California with some friends.

But their trip turned into a nightmare after they found an abandoned pistol and used it to go on a robbing spree, holding up a bakery, barbershop and clothes store with the handgun.

They were caught after stealing a car and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but Chuck was released on his 21st birthday for good behaviour.

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After his release, Berry married his wife in 1948 and worked at a car assembly plant. The couple would go on to have four children.

Berry claimed on The Tonight Show he was influenced primarily by 1940s swing artist Louis Jordan.

He said: "The main guy was Louis Jordan. I wanted to sing like Nat Cole, with lyrics like Louis Jordan with the swing of Bennie Goodman with Charlie Christian on guitar, playing Carl Hogan’s riffs, with the soul of Muddy Waters."

By the early 1950s, he was working with local bands in clubs in St Louis as an extra source of income.

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He had been playing blues since his teens, and he borrowed both guitar riffs and showmanship techniques from the blues musician T-Bone Walker.

By early 1953 Berry was performing with Johnnie Johnson's trio, starting a long-time collaboration with the pianist.

The band played mostly blues and ballads, but the most popular music among whites in the area was country.

Chuck and Toddy's first child Darlin Ingrid Berry was born in 1950, followed by Melody Exes Berry-Eskridge, Aloha Isa Lei Berry and Charles Edward Berry Jr.

According to the book, Brown Eyed Handsome Man: The Life and Hard Times of Chuck Berry, both Chuck Berry and Suggs spoke about their enduring love for the other.

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"We have had a wonderful marriage," Themetta was quoted as saying after the couple had already passed their 38th anniversary mark.

"We love each other as much as we did the day we met."

He is believed to have been worth around $19million at the time of his death.

Rolling Stones star Keith Richards once said of his idol: "You didn't know whether Chuck Berry was black or white. It was not a concern."

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Chuck's trademark four-bar guitar introduction and quick-fire lyrics reflected the rebelliousness of 1950s youth.

He influenced generations of succeeding rock stars, most notably the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys.

But he faced major financial difficulties through mismanagement and had frequent brushes with the law.

He also appeared in several rock films including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr Rock And Roll, both from 1957; Go Johnny Go from 1959, and Jazz on a Summer's Day in 1960.

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In 1962 he was charged with transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes.

The girl in question was a 14-year-old prostitute from Texas who he claimed he had brought to Missouri to check hats at his St Louis nightclub.

After he fired her, she complained to the police. In court the judge's summing-up was blatantly racist and the trial was eventually declared null and void.

But his is conviction at a second trial and the resulting two-year sentence left him embittered.

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His release coincided with the rhythm and blues revival in Britain with his material being covered by bands like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, his work was discovered by a new generation.

"If you tried to give rock and roll another name," John Lennon famously said, "you might call it Chuck Berry."

As waves of celebrity tributes rolled in, Ringo Starr tweeted: "R I P. And peace and love Chuck Berry Mr. rock 'n' roll music."

And Huey Lewis said: "Chuck Berry. Maybe the most important figure in all of rock and roll. His music and his influence will last forever."

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Berry's calculated showmanship, along with a mix of country tunes and R&B tunes, sung in the style of Nat King Cole set to the music of Muddy Waters, brought in a wider audience of affluent white people.

He was the first ever inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is widely cited by bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys as influencing their own music.

Chuck's passing comes just months after he announced he'd been working on his new studio album - the first in 38 years - to mark turning 90.

At the time, he said: "This record is dedicated to my beloved Toddy. My darlin' I'm growing old! I've worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes!"