Rick Wright's Death
"For me, playing music is like meditating. I just play and don't really think about what I'm doing, I just let it happen.” -Rick Wright
12 years ago on this day, 15th of September 2008, the legendary keyboardist of Pink Floyd, Richard William Wright died from lung cancer. He was 65.
Wright was a founding member of the group, and to most people, he was the soul of Pink Floyd, with the intricate chords and hauntingly beautiful harmonies he contributed to Pink Floyd songs. Though he usually stayed behind first Barrett, then Waters and Gilmour; he sometimes sang lead vocals, on songs like “Astronomy Domine” from their debut album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.”
Maybe his best-known compositions from Pink Floyd catalog are the dreamy yet bold “The Great Gig in the Sky” which features wordless vocals from Clare Torry in the middle of The Dark Side of the Moon, their most successful album; and “Echoes”, an extended psychedelic masterpiece with very personal and sincere keyboard sections, from 1971’s Meddle.
On the same day, David Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s guitarist and singer, said in a statement: “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.”
Today, we remember him for his inexpressible contributions to progressive rock genre and music as a whole and offer our deepest condolences.