Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/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.

Wright penned songs on classic albums including The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

Wright's spokesman said: "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."

Live 8

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.

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

Wright, together with Gilmour and Mason and Wright, 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.

Richard Wright was an integral part of Pink Floyd. He will be missed.

He has songwriting credits on some of the band's greatest tracks, including "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Breathe," "Time," "Us And Them" and my personal favorite, "The Great Gig In The Sky."

It's hard to think of Pink Floyd without any members of their classic lineup, Wright was a gifted musician. You just couldn't have Pink Floyd without him.

Strange, too, was that by the time 'The Wall' was released nearly 30 years ago, Roger Waters simply had him as a paid musician who did not fully contribute to the album, rather than as a full member.

Very sad news!

Rest in peace Rick, the rock & roll world will miss you.

Strange, too, was that by the time 'The Wall' was released nearly 30 years ago, Roger Waters simply had him as a paid musician who did not fully contribute to the album, rather than as a full member.

Yeah, and he's not even on The Final Cut. He returned, as a session musician, for 1987's A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, but was restored as a full-time part of the band in time for the band's tour in 1988, co-writing six songs, and even provide lead vocals on one, for the band's final album (1994's The Division Bell).

:rip:

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080916/en_afp/entertainmentbritainmusicpinkfloyddeath;_ylt=AsUf3Lz2FgW5.TYLM11fO29xFb8C)


LONDON (AFP) - Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has paid tribute to the band's keyboard player Richard Wright, who died of cancer aged 65, praising his "quiet touch" that brought their classic albums to life.


Wright, a founding member of the progressive rock group, wrote and sang several numbers from classic albums including "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) and "Wish You Were Here" (1975).

He died on Monday after a short struggle with cancer, his family announced.

Gilmour praised his bandmate's "vitality, spark and humour".

"No-one can replace Richard Wright -- he was my musical partner and my friend," he said. "In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten.

"He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound."

And he added: "Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him."

Among Wright's best-known compositions were "The Great Gig In The Sky," and "Us And Them".

Without those tracks, "What would 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' have been?" Gilmour said.

"Without his quiet touch the album 'Wish You Were Here' would not quite have worked. In my view, all the greatest PF moments are the ones where he is in full flow."

Wright, born in the London suburbs, met bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason at college, where they formed The Pink Floyd Sound in 1965.

After tensions with Waters, Wright left the band shortly after recording sessions for "The Wall" album in 1979.

He released two solo albums in a period during which Gilmour said Wright "lost his way for a while," before officially returning to Pink Floyd in 1987.

"In the early 90s, with 'The Division Bell,' his vitality, spark and humour returned to him," Gilmour said.

Wright took part in the band's reunion alongside Gilmour, Mason and Waters at the giant Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park in 2005. It was the first time Waters had appeared with the group since 1981.

He also played last year at a tribute concert to Syd Barrett, the band's early leader who left the group in 1968 and died in 2006. Waters and Gilmour appeared separately.

Wright played on every Pink Floyd tour and Gilmour paid tribute to his "uplifting" performances.

"It's a mark of his modesty that those standing ovations came as a huge surprise to him," he said.

Now he has gone to that Great Gig In the Sky.

:rip: :(