Overview

• His death was announced by sister-in-law Muriel Levy on Threads, who said he passed away after years of health problems and acknowledged care by his sister Kate and daughter Jackie.
• Jimmy Page posted a remembrance on Instagram, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame saluted Dreja’s impact on the band’s sound and influence.
• Dreja co-founded the Yardbirds in 1963, played rhythm guitar before switching to bass in 1966, co-wrote key songs, and drew the cover art for the 1966 album widely known as Roger the Engineer.
• After the Yardbirds split in 1968, he declined an invitation to join the group that became Led Zeppelin, instead building a successful photography career that included the back-cover image on Led Zeppelin’s debut.
• A series of strokes in 2012–2013 ended his performing career with the revived Yardbirds, and his passing leaves Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith as the remaining surviving original members.