Founder member of Pink Floyd Richard Wright has passed away a the age of 65 after a battle with cancer, it has been announced.
The self taught musician from Middlesex played keyboard with the legendary psych-prog band, and his delicate playing and rich ear for orchestration played a massive part in the artistic success of albums such as “Dark Side Of The Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”.
Growing up in Middlesex, Wright began to learnt he piano by himself. A meeting with Floyd founder Roger Waters found the young keyboard player drawn into the artistic milieu that would eventually erupt into the seminal psychedelic group. Despite not being a strong singer he takes the lead on several early Pink Floyd songs, such as the Syd Barret penned “Astronomy Domine”.
After the departure of the mercurial Barrett, Pink Floyd stabilized and began their ascent to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. Richard Wright contributed significantly to the success of the group, aiding song arrangement and writing such classics as “The Great Gig In The Sky”.
Despite the lengthy hiatuses in the career of Pink Floyd, Wright continually wrote, recorded and released music, producing numerous albums under his own name and in other groups.
Richard Wright has died of cancer, aged 65.
