Blues legend B.B. King has died in Las Vegas at age 89, his lawyer says.

Attorney Brent Bryson tells The Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT Thursday at his home in Las Vegas.

The one-time farmhand brought new fans to the blues and influenced a generation of musicians with his heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar on songs such as “The Thrill Is Gone.”

King sold millions of records worldwide and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He was awarded his 15th Grammy in 2009 in the traditional blues album category for “One Kind Favor.” King released more than 50 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

His guitar, famously named Lucille, soared and wailed in songs ranging from “Every Day I Have the Blues” to “When Love Comes to Town” to “The Thrill is Gone.”

In September 1970, King recorded one of his most revered albums in Chicago, “Live in Cook County Jail,” which topped the R&B chart. It documented a typically fierce King performance, a mix of improvisation and tightly scripted classics.

He was a frequent performer in Chicago, headlining everything from the Chicago Blues Fest in 2008 to clubs such as House of Blues. He fell ill after a performance at House of Blues last year and canceled a series of concert dates because of dehydration and exhaustion.

At Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival at a sold-out Toyota Park in Bridgeview, in 2007, King passed the torch to the next generation of blues guitar players. After performing a leering “Rock Me Baby” and a scarifying “The Thrill is Gone,” he raised a cup to his fans: “When they lay me off to rest, may the last voices I hear be yours.”

King was a mentor to countless musicians, including Clapton, and has been looked upon as a kindly godfather figure by many Chicago blues guitarists, including the late Hubert Sumlin, who accompanied King on stage at the Crossroads festival, and Buddy Guy, who once described King as the “last blues legend standing.”

On May 1, the 89-year-old musician posted thanks on his official website for fans’ well-wishes and prayers after he returned home from a brief hospitalization, said Laverne Toney, King’s longtime business manager and current power-of-attorney.

King’s hospitalization was the second in a month. He posted a similar message to fans when he returned home April 7.

Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot and Associated Press contributed.

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