Janis Joplin guitarist Sam Andrew has died at the age of 73 following open-heart surgery.

He had a heart attack in early December and suffered numerous complications, said his wife, Elise Piliwale. He passed away at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco.

Besides his wife, Andrew is survived by a daughter, Mari Andrew, brothers Bill,Lee, Dan and Steven, and sisters Paula Vitale and Lillian Andrew.

Andrew formed Big Brother And The Holding Company in the early 1960s and recruited Joplin in 1966. They went on to record classics like "Piece Of My Heart" and "Summertime."