[Infowarrior] - OT: Syd Barrett, Founder of Pink Floyd, Dies

[Richard Forno]

(couldn't pass up a mention of one of my favorite groups.......rf)

Syd Barrett, Founder of Pink Floyd, Dies

By JILL LAWLESS
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 11, 2006; 3:46 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071100
344_pf.html

LONDON -- Syd Barrett, the troubled Pink Floyd co-founder who spent his last
years in reclusive anonymity, has died, the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

A spokeswoman for the band said Barrett died several days ago, but she did
not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for
years.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd _ David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger
Waters and Richard Wright _ said they were "very upset and sad to learn of
Syd Barrett's death."

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy
which continues to inspire," they said in a statement.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright, and
wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock and
drug-laced, multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London
psychedelic scene. The 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" _ largely
written by Barrett, who also played guitar _ was a commercial and critical
hit.

But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD.
His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 _ five
years before the release of Pink Floyd's most popular album, "Dark Side of
the Moon" _ to be replaced by Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums _ "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" _ but
soon withdrew from the music business altogether. An album of previously
unreleased material, "Opel," was issued in 1988.

He reverted to his real name, Roger Barrett, and spent much of the rest of
his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England. Moving into
his mother's suburban house, he passed the time painting and tending the
garden. His former bandmates made sure Barrett continued to receive
royalties from his work with Pink Floyd.

He was a familiar figure to neighbors, often seen cycling or walking to the
corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him
out over the years.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many
musicians including David Bowie _ who covered the Barrett track "See Emily
Play."

Bowie said in a statement posted on his Web site that Barrett had been a
"major inspiration."

"His impact on my thinking was enormous," Bowie write. "A major regret is
that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."

The other members of Pink Floyd recorded the album "Wish You Were Here" as a
tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" _ "Remember when you were
young, you shone like the sun." The band also dwelt on themes of mental
illness on the albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.
© 2006 The Associated Press