Guitarist Bob Brozman has been found dead at his Santa Cruz, California home.

The 59-year-old musician's body was discovered on 23 April (13). The cause of death remains unknown.

Born in New York, Brozman became known as the King of the National Guitar and a legend in the world of blues and roots music, releasing more than 20 albums throughout the course of his career, most recently Fire in the Mind, which hit stores last year (12).

The steel-guitar innovator later became a part-time Contemporary Music Studies professor at MACquarie University in Australia and in 1999 he teamed up with Woody Mann to found the International Guitar Seminars, where he taught lessons to aspiring musicians.

Paying tribute to his longtime pal, pianist George Winston says, "Bob is beloved to me, and to so many in so many countries. His legacy will live on and will no doubt become the standard-bearer to musical innovators for decades to come."

Brozman's death came just weeks before his next planned performance at the Paris Festival Ukulele Boudoir in France on 11 May (13).