<span style="color: #222222;">The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine, who created one of the most famous riffs in pop music in the 1960s, died at the age of 77. The British band's version of blues standard The House of The Rising Sun topped the UK and US charts in 1964.<br />'' <br />'' The Animals' record label ABKCO Music described Valentine as a "pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come".<br />'' <br />''<br />''Valentine co-founded the Animals in Newcastle in 1963 alongside singer Eric Burdon, bassist Chas Chandler, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel.</span>