The Rock & Roll Fantasy

Richard Wright, the keyboardist for and a co-founder of Pink Floyd, died yesterday (Monday, September 15th) from cancer. Wright, who was 65 years old, had battled the disease for a short time, according to his family, who have requested that people respect their privacy. There’s been no word yet on funeral or memorial plans, and the statement didn’t identify which type of cancer Wright suffered from.

While Pink Floyd was fronted by singer-bassist Roger Waters and singer-guitarist David Gilmour, Wright’s contributions to the band were integral. Beyond his amazing keyboard work, Wright wrote and sang key tracks including “Astronomy Domine” from The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” from Relics, “One Of These Days” and “Echoes” from Meddle, “The Great Gig In The Sky” and “Us And Them” from The Dark Side Of The Moon, and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” from Wish You Were Here.

Gilmour, who featured Wright in his most recent solo band, wrote an amazing tribute to his friend:

• “No one can replace Richard Wright. He was my musical partner and my friend.”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 recognized Pink Floyd sound.”I have never played with anyone quite like him. The blend of his and my voices and our musical telepathy reached their first major flowering in 1971 on Echoes. In my view all the greatest PF moments are the ones where he is in full flow. After all, without ‘Us And Them’ and ‘The Great Gig In The Sky,’ both of which he wrote, what would The Dark Side Of The Moon have been? Without his quiet touch the album Wish You Were Here would not quite have worked.”In our middle years, for many reasons he lost his way for a while, but in the early Nineties, with The Division Bell, his vitality, spark and humour returned to him and then the audience reaction to his appearances on my tour in 2006 was hugely uplifting and it’s a mark of his modesty that those standing ovations came as a huge surprise to him (though not to the rest of us).”Like Rick, I don’t find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously.”

Fans will once again be reminded of Wright’s greatness next week with the release of Live In Gdansk, which documents the last show on Gilmour’s 2006 world tour. Live In Gdansk comes out Tuesday (September 23rd) in North America

[Editor’s note: I only had the pleasure of interviewing Wright on one occasion, when he released his solo album Broken China back in 1997. While the details of our conversation have pretty much been lost over the years, I will never forget the man I sat across from that day — humble, and a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

One thing we talked about has stayed with me. With the Millennium approaching, I asked Wright where he wanted to be and what he wanted to be doing at midnight that New Year’s Eve. Without any hesitation, he looked me in the eye and said that when the clock struck 12, he hoped he was on stage performing Dark Side’s “The Great Gig In The Sky.” More than a decade has passed since that day, and I suspect Wright has joined his old friend Syd Barrett and some other folks for few “great gigs” already, with more to come.]

Rest easy, Mr. Wright, and I wish nothing but peace to your loved ones.