HAVANA, Cuba, May 31. US guitarist and composer Doc Watson, considered one of the pioneers of folk, country and bluegrass, died at age 89, after undergoing a colon operation.

Sources of his record company told the press that he died on Tuesday at the Winston-Salem Hospital, in North Carolina, where he had stayed for a week.

Born in the bosom of a family of artists, Watson began to be noticed in the 1960s, with songs like Deep river blues and Shady grove, two classics of his repertoire.

He was the winner of eight Grammies, the most recent one in 2002 for his album Legacy. Folk, blues and gospel performers, whose work was influenced by his music, had Watson among their most respected musicians.

"His immense talent and spirit will be missed. We send our most sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to all those artists he inspired with his music," expressed in a communique the President of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Neil Portnow,
after learning about his death.