Johnny Depp Joins Jeff Beck on Stage at Sheffield Gig Just Days Before Defamation-trial Verdict

Everybody and their uncle is aware by now of the legal battle that Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are embroiled in. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has filed a defamation case against Heard for an op-ed article she wrote in The Washington Post that, Depp says, accuses him of domestic violence without actually naming him. He alleges that his lucrative acting career took a nosedive after the piece was published, and there have been multiple rounds of he-said-she-said from both legal teams ever since the trial began on April 11, 2022.

But just days before the verdict is expected, Depp threw a curve ball of sorts when he appeared with Jeff Beck on stage, wielding his guitar to support the legendary musician at a gig he was playing in Sheffield on the night of May 29. Depp caught the audience – and presumably Heard’s legal team – by surprise as he strutted about performing covers of  songs including Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix, adopting a rock-star persona that’s far removed from the suited-booted litigant that the world has grown accustomed to seeing him as for the past seven weeks. The jury in the defamation trial is going to resume deliberations on May 31, and it’s anyone’s guess what they will make of this surprise act that came less than 48 hours before they finally start reaching a decision on the case.

Depp’s musical ambitions, though, long predate his acrimonious legal battle with Heard. The actor was part of a supergroup called Hollywood Vampires that featured Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry. He also performed with Paul McCartney on the latter’s track, “My Valentine,” and even appeared in the video for it in 2015. But life hasn’t exactly been on song for him lately, after Disney dropped him from The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise like a hot brick after Heard’s allegations emerged. Depp’s gone on to sue her for $50 million. She’s countersued him for $100 million. But the million-dollar question really is, who will emerge as the winner in this high-profile legal battle?

The answer, at the time of writing, is that the jury is still out. So, watch this space, because we’ll all just have to wait and see.