ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- Johnnie Johnson, a rock 'n' roll pioneer who teamed with Chuck Berry for hits like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "No Particular Place to Go," died Wednesday. He was 80.

Johnson died at his St. Louis home. The cause of death was not immediately known, said publicist Margo Lewis. He had been hospitalized a month ago with pneumonia and was on dialysis for a kidney ailment, said John May, a friend and fellow musician.

Though he was never a household name, Johnson and Berry's long collaboration helped define early rock 'n' roll. Johnson often composed the music on piano, then Berry converted it to guitar and wrote the lyrics. In fact, Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson.

After he and Berry parted ways, Johnson performed with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley, among others. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 in the "sidemen" category.

"He left the indelible imprint of his sound," May said. "He was able to transition through any musical style because he just loved to play music."

Berry was on a plane returning from a visit to Europe on Wednesday and unavailable for comment, a spokeswoman said.

Johnson was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, and began playing piano at 4. He moved to Chicago after World War II, where he played jazz and blues in clubs. He moved to St. Louis in the early 1950s, forming his own R&B band, the Johnnie Johnson Trio.

When a band member became ill on New Year's Eve 1952, Johnson hired Berry to fill in.

Johnson and Berry parted ways in the early 1970s, and in 2000, Johnson sued Berry, seeking a share of royalties and proper credit for what Johnson said were more than 50 songs the men composed together. A federal judge dismissed the suit in 2002, ruling that too many years had passed since the disputed songs were written.

The lawsuit contended that Berry took advantage of Johnson's alcoholism, misleading him into believing that only Berry was entitled to own the copyrights "and reap the monetary benefits."

Johnson is survived by his wife and children

A goddamned god. A huge influence on Ian Stewart and, in turn, the Stones amongst MANY others.

Damn shame. He still played gigs around town in St. Louis from time to time. Last time I got a chance to see him was last year. He never lost it.

this is devastating. Probably my favorite piano player of all time.

Yo, is that theatre in St Louis where they filmed "Hail, Hail Rock N Roll" (i think it was the Fox) still around?

I love that movie, especially when Chuck calls Julian Lennon "John" and then says "Yeah, John Lennon's boy Julian Lennon"

A monster. Rumor has it that he was the technical wizard behind Berry's 'camera' techniques as well. And, he may or may not have taught Berry about 'water works'

Just sayin, when you roll that hard with a dude with a Mann Act conviction, you must have been a king hell heavy yourself. Plus, dude BROUGHT it.

That piano sound so influential to the overall sound of mongerdom was originated with this dude.

RIP

What the fuck is the matter with you man?

Yup, it's still there. I haven't seen much there in a long time though, tickets are usually pretty high. I think the last thing I saw there was NIN and Marilyn Manson years ago.

Chuck still plays monthly gigs at a local bar called Blueberry Hill, which is a great place to stop in for a beer and a burger and check out some cool old rock memorabilia.

I wish I could've witnessed that Chuck Berry band around '56 or so. They must've totally fucking blown people's minds.

The wife wouldn't let you go?

Naw, at the time I was uber-indie and into that trendy skiffle stuff comin' out of the UK.

He was really great. Sad news.