Pink Floyd member Richard Wright dies at age 65

[zosobob6]

LONDON (AP) -- A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65.

Wright died Monday after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. His family did not want to give more details about his death. The spokesman is Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist.

Richard Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason at college and joined their early band Sigma 6.

Sigma 6 eventually became Pink Floyd and Wright wrote and sang some of the band's key songs. He wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" from Pink Floyd's 1973 "The Dark Side of the Moon."

He left the group in the early 1980s to form his own band but rejoined Pink Floyd for their 1987 album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason."

[GypsySoul]

God bless his soul.

R.I.P.

 

[GeraldFord]

That's a shame--we've lost two members of PF in two years....

RIP

[Olorin]

I'm really gutted Such a nice guy and wonderful on the piano.

I just have listen to Us And Them tonight - infact the whole of Dark Side Of The Moon.

Looks like I picked the wrong day to get back on the wagon.

RIP Richard Wright, you will be missed.

[DeN]

bad bad news, shit. rip.

[Olorin]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7617363.stm


Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Richard Wright has died aged 65 from cancer.

Wright appeared on the group's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside lead guitarist Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.

Dave Gilmour joined the band at the start of 1968 while Barrett left the group shortly afterwards.

Gilmour said: "He was such a lovely, gentle, genuine man and will be missed terribly by so many who loved him."

Writing on his website, he added: "And that's a lot of people. Did he not get the loudest, longest round of applause at the end of every show in 2006?"

Wright's spokesman said in a statement: "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer.

"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."

He did not say what form of cancer the self-taught keyboard player and pianist had.

Live 8

Wright, a founder member of The Pink Floyd Sound - and other previous incarnations including Sigma 6 - met Waters and Mason at architecture school.

 
Wright rejoined Pink Floyd for the London Live 8 concert in 2005
Pink Floyd achieved legendary status with albums including 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon, which stayed in the US album chart for more than a decade.

Wright, known as Rick earlier in his career, wrote The Great Gig In The Sky and Us And Them from the album.

Waters left the band in 1981, performing his last concert at London's Earls Court.

Wright, together with Gilmour and Mason, continued to record and tour as Pink Floyd during the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s, releasing their last studio album - The Division Bell - in 1994.

In 2005, the full band reunited - for the first time in 24 years - for the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park.

Wright also contributed vocals and keyboards to Gilmour's 2006 solo album On An Island, while performing with his touring band in shows in Europe and the US.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZGRtUeYTU8&NR=1

[gcluskey]

Richard Wright from Pink Floyd has just died

[estebanf]

God take care of his soul. Wright wrote PF's most beautiful song. My dream of seeing a reunion show ended today.

[Verse Chorus Verse]

Richard Wright from Pink Floyd has just died

Shit, right after the reunion got shot down, too. Now it really can't happen.

[kaasupoltin]

Just listened to Pink Floyd yesterday, even though I'm not a big fan of them. But it was cool and I started to like that album.

R.I.P

[Six Strings]

R.I.P.

[Walapino]

how sad 

[tim_m]

RIP

[GNRreunioneventually]

Thats to bad

i envy those who have seen the band before they all started dropin like flies. For you have a memory that no one or no amount of any substance can take away


RIP

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

So sad to hear, at least he won't have to suffer anymore.

[Genesis]

R.I.P.

[Bitch Slap Rappin]

I just found out today (I had yesterday off and I didn't hear anything until this morning). I'm really sad. Pink Floyd is one of my favorite groups. I've always admired all four members of Floyd including the first Piper Syd. Rick was a real great keyboardist. He played what was required for the Floyd. He never over did his part. He showed no indications of poor health. For the last three years he was on tour with David Gilmour and from the DVD were there is interviews with the band and their tour there was no indication that he was ill. In fact he stated it was the best tour he had ever experienced were it didn't seem like work. He will be missed............

[ppbebe]

RIP.


strongly hope one day we'll stamp out cancer.