Chris Dreja, rhythm guitarist, bassist, photographer, and co-founder of the Yardbirds, has died at the age of 79. His death was confirmed by family members and former bandmates, including guitarist Jimmy Page, who shared the news on social media.

“I heard today of the passing of musician Chris Dreja, who passionately played with the iconic Yardbirds, on rhythm guitar and then the bass,” Page wrote on Instagram. “I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I wish I had. RIP Chris.”

Dreja’s sister-in-law, Muriel Levy, also paid tribute, noting that he passed away after years of health issues. “I share the pain with my sister Kate who took care of him during all those years and his daughter Jackie,” she wrote on Threads.

Born Christopher Walenty Dreja on November 11, 1945, in Kingston upon Thames, England, Dreja’s musical journey began as a teenager. His brother attended art school with guitarist Anthony “Top” Topham, and Dreja soon joined Topham, singer Keith Relf, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and drummer Jim McCarty to form the Metropolitan Blues Quartet in 1963. The group quickly renamed itself the Yardbirds.

Though Topham left the band soon after, Dreja remained as rhythm guitarist, making him one of the longest-serving members of the group. When Eric Clapton joined later in 1963, the band found its footing as one of London’s rising rhythm-and-blues acts. Taking over the Rolling Stones’ residency at the Crawdaddy Club, the Yardbirds built their reputation on fiery live shows and experimental guitar work. Their 1964 album Five Live Yardbirds, recorded at London’s Marquee Club, captured their early energy.

In 1965, Clapton left, frustrated with the group’s turn toward pop, and was replaced by Jeff Beck, whose adventurous style helped propel the Yardbirds into new territory. With Beck, Dreja, and the rest of the band, the Yardbirds produced hits like “Heart Full of Soul,” “Shapes of Things,” and their cover of Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man.” Shapes of Things has since been called one of rock’s first psychedelic records.

The lineup shifted again in 1966 when Samwell-Smith departed. Page initially joined on bass before moving to guitar, and Dreja switched instruments to take over on bass duties. For a brief period, the Yardbirds boasted both Beck and Page as dueling lead guitarists, recording “Stroll On” for Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film Blow-Up. After Beck’s departure, Dreja remained alongside Page as the group soldiered on until its dissolution in 1968.

When the Yardbirds split, Page approached Dreja about joining his new project, the New Yardbirds, which soon evolved into Led Zeppelin. Dreja declined, choosing instead to pursue a career in photography. “I had made the decision that I was going to be in control of my own life when I woke up in the morning,” Dreja told Classic Rock Radio. “By that time the love I had for music had transferred itself to photography. I don’t regret it.”

As a photographer, he captured artists such as Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Ike and Tina Turner, and later, Zeppelin themselves. He later returned briefly to music, joining ex-Yardbirds in the 1980s for Box of Frogs, and in the 1990s for a Yardbirds revival that produced the 2002 album Birdland, with guest contributions from Brian May and Slash. In 1992, Dreja was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds.

In 2012 and 2013, Dreja suffered a series of strokes. He formally stepped down from the Yardbirds in 2013 and was replaced by his old bandmate Topham. Despite the health challenges, he remained proud of his career’s twin paths in music and photography.

“I personally have done the two things I love the most,” he told Classic Bands. “I have no regrets, I must be honest. The passion, the love for the art form did provide me with a living and that’s all you need really.”

The Yardbirds were not only Dreja’s platform but also a training ground for three of rock’s most influential guitarists such as Clapton, Beck, and Page. Yet Dreja’s steady presence on both rhythm guitar and bass helped ground the group through its shifting lineups. Beyond music, his photography extended his artistic legacy into another medium, one he controlled fully on his own terms.

Chris Dreja is survived by his wife Kate and daughter Jackie.