Ewan McGregor, Slash and Stereophonics have paid tribute to late Deep Purple musician Jon Lord.

The keyboard player and founder of The Heavy metal outfit passed away in London aged 71 yesterday (16.07.12), and a number of stars have praised his contribution to music on their social networking sites including the 41-year-old actor.

Ewan wrote on twitter: ''Jon played with my great friend Tony Ashton. They'll be jamming upstairs now!''

Slash admitted it is a ''sad day'' for music following Jon's passing, describing him as ''one of a kind''.

He tweeted: ''Sad day in rock'n'roll. Jon Lord has passed on. One of the biggest, baddest, heaviest sounds in heavy metal. One of a kind. RIP. (sic)''

Twisted Sister's Dee Snider described Jon as an ''amazing musician'' and The Kinks referred to him as a ''legend'', calling him a ''fantastic pianist and composer''.

Richard Jones of Welsh band Stereophonics tweeted: ''Deep Purple in Rock was the first album I bought. RIP Jon Lord. Legend! RJ x.''