Jon Lord of Deep Purple dies at 71

[Jason]

“It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jon Lord, who suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday 16th July at the London Clinic, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jon was surrounded by his loving family.

“Jon Lord, the legendary keyboard player with Deep Purple co-wrote many of the bands legendary songs including Smoke On The Water and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career.

“Best known for his Orchestral work Concerto for Group & Orchestra first performed at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 and conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold, a feat repeated in 1999 when it was again performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple.

“Jon’s solo work was universally acclaimed when he eventually retired from Deep Purple in 2002.

“Jon passes from Darkness to Light.

Jon Lord 9 June 1941 – 16 July 2012.”

sh*t. This sucks.

[drbeachboy]

R.I.P. Jon Lord. We are losing our heroes faster than we can keep count. Sad, sad, day.

[PhilCohen]

Deep Purple is one of the main groups that I collect. I had been collecting their music since the time of "Deep Purple in Rock"(summer 1970, around the time that I turned 14), and I have a vinyl collection of more than 150 Deep Purple group & solo albums, and an even larger quantity on CD. While Jon's illness had been known for more than a year, this still comes as a shock. He spent his final decade doing his first love, Classical composing. When rehearsing his 1969 "Concerto For Group & Orchestra" with conductor Malcolm Arnold & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one angry lady cellist said, "I didn't join this orchestra to play with a second-rate Beatles"(I.E. Deep Purple). Malcolm Arnold then explained to the orchestra that Jon Lord had written out all of the parts for the orchestra without assistance from an arranger or copyist. After performing the concerto, the lady cellist came up to Jon Lord and apologized, saying that she had enjoyed the experience. It was to be the first of more than a half dozen classical compositions from Lord's pen, including "Gemini Suite", "Windows", "Sarabande",  & "Boom of The Tingling Strings".

[Dead Parrot]

Think i'll put "Child In Time" on, and crank it right up.

RIP Jon

[Banana]

It's been a bad year for musicians so far.  Too many of my heroes have passed on.  I was just tapping my foot to "Hush" the other day while waiting in line at Walgreen's!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

This is a great series and Jon is all over this episode:

http://youtu.be/kafajIqQ4CY

[Jukka]

I just got into Deep Purple last year. It's very rare for me to go nuts over keyboardists, but Jon has been my favourite DP instrumentalist since I got their albums. I especially enjoy those outtake piano bits on remastered In Rock. What a great, great player he was. RIP.