Founding Yardbirds guitarist Antony “Top” Topham dies aged 75

Antony “Top” Topham
(Image credit: Denise Truscello)

Sanderson Rasjid, best known as founding Yardbirds guitarist Antony “Top” Topham, has died aged 75.

A statement shared by his publicist reads: “Sanderson Rasjid, born Antony “Top” Topham, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 23, surrounded by his family.” The statement adds that the guitarist had been fighting dementia in his final years.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Sam Roche

Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.