Founding Pink Floyd member Richard Wright has died at the age of 65. The keyboardists spokesman told the BBC Wright had been battling cancer for some time.
Wright co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with guitarist Syd Barrett, bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason. Though Wright sang lead on several early Pink Floyd compositions, his role was mostly supportive, coloring psychedelic epics like ‘Breathe,’ ‘Time, ‘Echoes’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond. He also wrote or co-wrote a number of key Floyd tracks, including ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ and ‘Us and Them.’
Wright found himself butting heads with Waters as the bassist increased his grip over the group and resigned as fulltime member of Pink Floyd while recording The Wall. He continued to tour with the group as a salaried backing musician through 1981, but does not appear on 1983s The Final Cut. Wright rejoined the group fulltime in time to record 1987s A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the first Pink Floyd record not to feature Waters. Under the leadership of Gilmour, Wright contributed heavily to latter day Floyd records like The Delicate Sound of Thunder and The Division Bell, as well as the live album P*U*L*S*E. In 2005, he reunited with Gilmour, Waters and Mason for a one-off Pink Floyd performance at Live 8.
Wright has released a handful of studio albums outside of Pink Floyd, including 1978s Wet Dream and 1996s Broken China, the latter of which features Sin O’Connor, among others. He also released a collaborative effort with Dave Fashions Harris under the moniker Zee in 1984. In addition, Wright appeared on Gilmours 2006 album On an Island and the albums subsequent tour.
Only last week Gilmour made headlines by saying that he never again take part in a Pink Floyd reunion. Founding Pink Floyd visionary Syd Barrett died in 2006.