Hello, All.

This is really sad - one of the founding members of Pink Floyd...

(And what bothers me is that he died of diabetic complications - I have
diabetes myself...)

Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett dies
Musician a major influence on British psychedelia

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Syd Barrett, the eccentric guitarist who founded
Pink Floyd but later left the music business to live quietly and somewhat
reclusively, has died at the age of 60, according to a spokeswoman for the
band.

A spokeswoman for Pink Floyd told the Press Association: "He died very
peacefully a couple of days ago. There will be a private family
funeral."

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a
legacy which continues to inspire," the surviving members of Pink
Floyd -- Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright -- said
in a statement.

They were "very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death."

The singer and guitarist, born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946,
founded the band in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright. (Its name was
derived from two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.)

He wrote many of the early hits for the avant-garde rock band, including
the 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and the band's
first hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play."

His songs were odd and charming combinations of childlike lyrics and
swirling melodies, often augmented with strange arrangements. The titles
alluded to space, the occult and sometimes nonsense: "Astronomy
Domine," "Lucifer Sam," "Chapter 24."

Consider some lyrics of "Bike," from "Piper": "I
know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house / I don't know why, I call him
Gerald / He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse."

Pink Floyd, taken under the wing of Beatles engineer Norman Smith, had
early success, but Barrett, suffering from mental problems and heavy drug
use, started demonstrating erratic behavior, including catatonia during
concerts. He left the band in 1968. He was replaced by David Gilmour, who
had joined the band as its fifth member earlier that year.

Barrett put out two noted solo albums, "The Madcap Laughs" and
"Barrett," both in 1970.

In 1975, during the recording of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were
Here" album, Barrett showed up unannounced at the studio --
ironically, during the recording of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond,"
a song about him. He had become overweight and shaved his eyebrows; the
other members didn't recognize him at first.

"Wish You Were Here" was dedicated to Barrett.

Much of British psychedelic music was influenced by Barrett, and a number
of musicians have credited him, according to Allmusic.com.

In a statement, David Bowie said that Barrett had been a "major
inspiration."

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

Barrett had since lived in anonymity in the eastern English city of
Cambridge. According to The Associated Press, he suffered from diabetes.

The spokeswoman said a low-key, private funeral would be held. She did not
disclose the cause of death.

Later,
Sean

// Visit my blog: http://kd5col.blogspot.com

--- GoldED/W32 3.0.1