Johnny Depp gives a thumbs up as he is seen for the first time since his split from British lawyer Joelle Rich

Johnny Depp has given his fans the thumbs up after performing in LA in his first appearance since splitting from British lawyer Joelle Rich.

His romance with the privately-educated mother-of-two, 37, supposedly begun during his highly publicised court battle with ex wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia.

The pair were seen shooting each other tender glances during his court case this spring and Rich was spotted travelling to court with Depp by car.

Johnny was seen saying hello to fans stood outside the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, where he was performing on his music tour with Jeff Beck in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Cutting a dapper figure, the actor and musician, 59, gave doted listeners a warm welcome before he left the venue.

The Edward Scissorhands actor wore a grey fedora hat with brown braided string around the base.

He wore an off-white striped shirt with rolled up sleeves, showcasing his many tattoos, and a grey waistcoat with black buttons.

When news of the liaison between Johnny and his now ex-lover Joelle Rich broke last month, it was said that they enjoyed ‘off the scale chemistry’.

However there was no sign of the actor when Rich attended a family wedding in Ibiza last weekend and sources in New York believe that Depp’s relationship was fizzling out — and may actually already be over.

A friend of Depp’s said: ‘Are they still an item? We are not talking about a normal couple here. It’s not a big, stable, committed love affair and I’m not sure that it ever was.

‘I don’t know if they are together in any way at this point. Certainly I don’t believe it is a serious romantic relationship, or even an exclusive one.’

The source added: ‘Firstly, he has just come out of a massive legal battle [with ex-wife Amber Heard], so who would want to commit after that? It has been an extremely traumatic period for him.

Johnny kept it casual with a pair of black denim jeans and a pair of black leather boots, and accessorised with plenty of his signature silver bracelets, rings and some black sunglasses.

The 59-year-old kept a youthful, clean-shaven look – having shaved off his signature goatee.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor is currently on tour with rocker friend Jeff Beck.

Depp and Beck met in 2016 and became good friends, bonding over their shared love of music and cars.

They eventually started playing music together in 2019, and have toured in Europe ahead of their first US tour.

He looked in good spirits on Sunday evening, where he was accompanied by his bodyguard, giving the thumbs up and waving to fans as they waited outside.

Secondly, he’s Johnny Depp and I don’t think a standard committed relationship is going to be his thing.’

London friends of Rich say that her plans for a divorce from husband Jonathan are still progressing.

Joelle and Jonathan have two children and lived together in a £1.5 million house in North London. They were married in 2011.

Since the trial, in which Depp sued Heard over an article she wrote for the Washington Post, the actor has spent a few months in France making the French language film Jeanne du Barry, in which he plays Louis XV.

Since that wrapped last month he has taken up his music career again, playing dates in the U.S. with guitar hero Jeff Beck, and planning a UK tour next year with Alice Cooper in supergroup Hollywood Vampires.