Johnny Depp Waves To Fans Tenderly As He Arrives At Sage Gateshead Ahead Of Jeff Beck Gig

Johnny Depp has been spotted looking cheerful as he arrived at Sage Gateshead on Thursday, where he is set to perform with Jeff Beck once more tonight.

The 58-year-old actor, who on Wednesday won his multimillion-dollar US defamation lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard, 36, had previously surprised audiences and fans when he joined Beck on stage in Sheffield and at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

He has now been confirmed to join his musician pal on the rest of Beck’s UK tour dates, which run up to June 7.

He has now been confirmed to join his musician pal on the rest of Beck’s UK tour dates, which run up to June 7.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star arrived outside the Sage Gateshead music venue on Thursday afternoon, accompanied by two security guards, but waved enthusiastically to fans from behind them.

Wearing a checked jacket, spotty shirt and purple-lensed sunglasses, the actor and musician also carried a briefcase.

Beck was snapped leaving his hotel ahead of the gig, smiling and waving to fans in a khaki outfit and white T-shirt.

Depp headed to Newcastle yesterday as the news about his win came in, celebrating with Beck and Geordie local Sam Fender at a pub, and greeting fans.

The actor, who previously collaborated with Beck on the 2020 track Isolation, will now perform in Gateshead, Glasgow on June 3, Manchester on June 4, Birmingham on June 6, and finally York on June 7.

It’s thought that Depp had committed to the tour before the dates for the trial were set, after he first surprised fans with his initial Sheffield appearance on Sunday.

Depp sued Aquaman star Heard for $50million (£39.8m) over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post, which did not mention him by name, titled: ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.’

On Wednesday, the jury confirmed that they had unanimously reached a verdict, awarding Depp $10m (£8m) in compensatory damages, and a further $5m (£4m) in punitive damages.

Heard won one of her three defamation countersuit claims against Depp, and was awarded $2m (£1.6m).

Her lawyer has since revealed that she is ‘absolutely not’ able to pay the $8m in damages to her ex-husband.

Despite Depp being awarded a total of $15m in damages, Judge Penney Azcarate reduced Depp’s $5m punitive damages to instead award $350,000, the maximum in Virginia. He also has to pay Heard the $2m in compensatory damages she was awarded, so he therefore walks away with $8.35m in overall damages.

Appearing on the Today Show, the Aquaman actress’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft also said that Heard will ‘absolutely’ be appealing the verdict, telling the host: ‘She has excellent grounds for it.’