Jim Irsay, the man who assembled a trove of famous celebrity guitars called “The Greatest Guitar Collection on Earth,” has died at age 65.
The longtime owner of the Indianapolis Colts football team passed on in his sleep on May 21. No reason for his death was provided.
Irsay spent much of his life around the Colts, the football team his father purchased in 1972.
But he was also an avid musician with a taste for rare electric and acoustic guitars, which he began purchasing frequently at the start of the 21st century.
“It’s an eclectic collection, but really it’s about spirituality, it’s about human beings being as great as they can and changing the world with love and strength,” Irsay said in a 2023 interview.
Irsay’s first major guitar purchase was Jerry Garcia’s Tiger, which he acquired in 2002. Built by luthier Doug Irwin over the course of six years, Tiger was Garcia’s main performance guitar from when he received it in 1979 until 1989. It was also the last guitar the Grateful Dead founder ever played in concert, at his final performance at Chicago Soldier Field on July 9, 1995.
Irsay owned a number of Beatles guitars, including the 1963 Gretsch 6120 Country Gentleman John Lennon played on the group’s 1966 single “Paperback Writer,” as well as Lennon’s 1964 Rickenbacker Rose Morris Model 1996.
Irsay also acquired George Harrison’s 1964 Gibson SG, which appeared on “Paperback Writer” and the Beatles’ Revolver album. The instrument made an appearance in the group’s video for “Hey Bulldog” in 1968. Harrison later gifted the SG to Pete Ham of Badfinger, who played it on their 1972 song “Baby Blue.”
Other guitars in Irsay’s collection include:
• The 1964 Fender Stratocaster used by Bob Dylan during his July 25, 1965 performance at the Newport Folk Festival, where he famously "went electric" to the dismay of many in the crowd.
• Eric Clapton’s handpainted The Fool Gibson SG, which he played during his time with Cream, as well as the 1939 Martin 000–42 Clapton used during his 1992 MTV Unplugged performance, where he revived his career with an acoustic version of “Layla.”
• David Gilmour’s heavily modified 1969 Fender Stratocaster, known as the iconic Black Strat. He also owns Gilmour’s Martin D-35, heard on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Asked by Guitar Player to name his favorite guitar in 2003, Gilmour replied, “I guess it would be my Martin D-35. I used it on ‘Wish You Were Here,’ and I’ve been using it ever since.”
• Prince's Yellow Cloud guitar, which he used in numerous concerts from 1988 to 1994. The guitar was built by luthier Dave Rusan and became an iconic symbol of Prince's career during the time that he used it.
A unique and key aspect of Irsay’s collecting habit was his attitude that he was simply the instruments’ caretaker, and that his responsibility was to share the guitars with others.
To that end, Irsay presented his collection to the public through tours and exhibits, making it accessible to fans and music enthusiasts. He also performed with the Jim Irsay Band, which featured musicians that included drummer Kenny Aronoff, bass guitar player Mike Mills of R.E.M., and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Frequent guests included Buddy Guy, John Fogerty and Vince Gill.
The guitars were just one facet of Irsay's music collection. He also purchased handwritten lyrics (including Paul McCartney’s “Hey Jude” sheet) and Ringo Starr’s bass drum head from the Beatles' February 9, 1964, debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. In addition, he owned several milestones of pop culture, including the long scroll of paper on which Jack Kerouac typed his 1957 novel On the Road.
There’s no word on what will become of Irsay’s guitar and instrument collection in the wake of his passing.
“I’ve been so blessed, and like I always knew, rock and roll and N.F.L. football — that’s America, man, that’s what it’s about,” Irsay commented in 2022. “I mean, it doesn’t get any bigger, better than that.”
