Great Gig in the Sky - Richard Wright of Pink Floyd dies **update**

A radio tribute entitled 'Remember A Day: Richard Wright In His Own Words' runs on BBC Radio 2 in the UK this Saturday, 11th October, at 7.00 PM. Including his last ever radio interview, the programme chronicles Richard's personal history with Pink Floyd, told entirely in his own words, drawing on BBC archive material.

Producer Mark Hagen interviewed Richard in September 2007, and has used this to create what should be an essential special. Songs to be featured include Remember A Day, Sysyphus, Echoes, Us And Them, The Great Gig In The Sky, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and Wearing The Inside Out. In the UK Radio Times preview, writer Tony Peters states: "With a current music scene that offers an infinite number of pretenders serving up a seemingly endless supply of bland material, we should mourn the loss of a true innovator".
Who could disagree?

Richard William Wright (July 28, 1943 Hatch End, Middlesex, England - September 15, 2008) was a self-taught pianist and keyboardist best known for his long career with Pink Floyd.

Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Richard Wright has died aged 65 from cancer.

Wright appeared on the group's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside lead guitarist Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.

Dave Gilmour joined the band at the start of 1968 while Barrett left the group shortly afterwards.

Wright penned songs on classic albums including Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

Wright's spokesman said: "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer.

"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."

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 recognised 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.

I'm so sorry to break the sad news that Richard has passed away after a battle with cancer.

I really don't know what to say other than that he was such a lovely, gentle, genuine man and will be missed terribly by so many who loved him.

And that's a lot of people. Did he not get the loudest, longest round of applause at the end of every show in 2006?