Pink Floyd Founding Member Rick Wright Dead at 65

[Mithras]

How sad is this?

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/15/pink-floyd-founding-member-rick-wright-dead-at-65/

Rick Wright, keyboardist and a founding member of Pink Floyd, died today after a battle with cancer. He was 65. “The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer,” Wright’s spokesman said. “The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.” Wright, along with Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason, laid the foundation for Pink Floyd, with Wright’s organ work one of the trademarks of the band’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. With the addition of David Gilmour and the subtraction of Syd Barrett, Wright’s responsibilities with Floyd expanded, writing and singing on two songs on the band’s second album A Saucer Full of Secrets. Among Wright’s most well-known works as a member of Pink Floyd are co-writing credits on “Us & Them,” “The Great Gig in the Sky” and the Atom Heart Mother gem “Summer ‘68.” In a sidebar to a feature last year, David Fricke said of “Us & Them,” “Rick Wright composed the floating-chord piano figure at the heart of this song during the sessions for Zabriskie Point. Director Michelangelo Antonioni rejected it, allowing Wright to resurrect the theme for this Dark Side highlight.” Wright remained a member of Pink Floyd until a rift with Roger Waters resulted in his exit after The Wall. Wright later rejoined the band when David Gilmour took over the reins after Waters left the band. Wright was also on hand when the band reunited in 2005 for the Live 8 concert in London. Recently, Wright had joined David Gilmour’s solo tour.

[matt-zeus]

This is terrible news, he was my favourite Floyd man, i'm more upset over this than I was over Syd Barrett. Ricks keyboards, vocals and songwriting are a great part of early Pink Floyd, i'm really gutted.

[pixletwin]

I had no idea he even had cancer. I am quite shocked. Sad news.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Damn.

[Roger Ryan]

Yes, this is very sad. I'm very glad Floyd were able to reunite, albeit briefly, in 2005. Wright contributed some excellent material during the "middle" period (1968 - 74 roughly).

[8o8o]

Very sad indeed. May he rest in peace.

"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind.
Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."

[DonnaK]

So sad to hear this.

[donald]

Gone to that Great Gig in the Sky.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Remember a day....

[Shady]

Ahhh, Shocking news

RIP

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Major bummer!   My favorite Floyder.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I didn't even know he was sick, personally.

He was a great musician. Imagining the classic Pink Floyd sound without him is impossible, esp. on the first few post-Syd albums. God, I loved his organ sound!  I would've loved a Wright/D.Wilson collaboration for sure. Now THAT would've been a great piece of work. Actually, not just talking about writing, but vocally he sounded like a British Dennis.

Sad as hell.

[Bean Bag]

 

This sux.  This really sux.  What the fux? 

I was thinking the other day, they have to be one of the only MAJOR Dinosaur bands that still had all its members. 

Musically, the classic post-Syd Floyd -- the Pink Floyd we all know and made famous -- was a combination of those three guys.  Waters was clearly the "idea" and lyric-guy and gave them their grit.  Gilmour the melody and music.  But it was Wright that gave them that classic mystique.  That ethereal, trippiness that mellowed it all out.  That WAS Pink Floyd.  That's what made them unique.  He really was the Pink Floyd sound.  And what a unique, amazing sound they had.  That mellow, trippy sound is what attracted me.

Water's bitterness gave it weight and importance.  Gilmour a truly brilliant guitarist and vocalist.  But Wright was the guts of this band's sound and mysterious image.  That was everything.  The demise of Floyd can be tracked to Wright's departure.  "The Wall" and "The Final Cut" both lack soul, and Rick Wright.

He was also the closest to Syd in personality and spirit.  Wright's sound is what made the image of Syd's ever-lurking psychotic demise, seem....mysteriously present, ghostly and cool. 

Pink Floyd is officially never to be again.

[8o8o]

Well said Bean Bag, I can only agree.

Pink Floyd were so much more than just Waters & Gilmour (or Syd for that matter). Wright's two solo albums ("Wet Dream" and "Broken China", both sold poorly of course) rank among the best to come out of the (solo) Floyd camp, very personal and great to chill out to.

[TdHabib]

Very sad to hear, I was a fan of Wright's work with the Floyd and will miss him. Guess he's off to join Syd in the Great Gig in the Sky. Shine on...

[Music Machine]

It's such sad news, his keyboards were so integral to their sound. He's irreplaceable I think, he had such a distinct playing style. Also I think he wrote some excellent songs for the band. I especially like Remember a Day, Paintbox, Sumer 68 and Burning Bridges.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I never heard  of Bridges Burning. Info please...?

One of the great pleasures to me personally was hearing the vocal blend between Gilmour and Wright, esp. on "Echoes". Great stuff.

[Music Machine]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW4gcvUF6BI

It's on the album Obscured by Clouds from 1972, an underrated film soundtrack that came right after Meddle and right before Dark Side of the Moon. It's a really excellent album with elements of both Meddle and what was to come on DSOTM in it's sound.