Overview

• Sister-in-law Muriel Levy announced his death on Threads, noting he had suffered long-term health issues without giving a specific cause.
• Jimmy Page paid tribute on Instagram, saluting Dreja’s tenure on rhythm guitar and later bass with the Yardbirds.
• Dreja co-founded the Yardbirds in 1963, moved from rhythm guitar to bass after Page joined in 1966, and contributed as a co-writer during the band’s influential run that also featured Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.
• He declined an offer to join Led Zeppelin to pursue photography and shot the back-cover band photo for Led Zeppelin’s debut album.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, he later helped revive the Yardbirds before retiring in 2013 after strokes, leaving Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith as the surviving original members.