Johnny Depp Joins Jeff Beck On Stage at Sheffield Gig

On 29th May, Johnny Depp appeared as a surprise special guest at Jeff Beck’s show in Sheffield, where the two performed renditions of John Lennon, Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix. Depp, who is awaiting the verdict of his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, boarded a plane following closing arguments on 27th May, with a judgement due early this week.

Depp remained silent on stage during the three-song set, instead playing guitar with Beck to three classics by John Lennon, Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix.

Below is a video of the performances.

Depp is suing his ex-wife Heard for defamation over an op-ed she penned in The Washington Post in 2018 about being a domestic abuse survivor.

Though Depp’s lawyers believe that the piece erroneously implies she was sexually and physically abused by him during their marriage, Heard did not mention Depp by name in the post. She’s also filed a counterclaim against Depp, alleging that he’s engaged in a smear campaign targeting her.

They met on the set of ‘The Rum Diary’ in 2011 and got hitched in 2015. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce from Depp, alleging physical and verbal abuse. All of the allegations have been refuted by Depp, who claims they are not grounded in any sort of fact.

Depp already lost a libel lawsuit against ‘The Sun’ in 2020 for an April 2018 piece that called him a “wife beater.” Judge Mr Justice Nicol stated in his decision that the comments were “substantially true.”

Heard is said to have fired her public relations team due to the negative press she has received throughout the trial.

After being subjected to “negative headlines” since the trial began in March, the actress is reported to have fired crisis management specialists Precision Strategies on 28th April. Heard is “frustrated with her tale not being told effectively,” according to The New York Post. The trial is still ongoing.

—Silviya.Y