[xqdrocherz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5169344.stm

Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60 from complications arising from diabetes.
He was born Roger Barrett in Cambridge and met future bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour at school there.

The guitarist was invited to join Pink Floyd by Waters in 1965 but left three years later after only one album with his mental state affected by drugs.

"He died very peacefully a couple of days ago," said the band's spokeswoman.

"There will be a private family funeral."

Barrett was the band's first creative force and an influential songwriter - but his drug intake soon began to affect his place in the band.

Often he would be seen standing on stage with his guitar dangling from his neck, staring into the crowd.

'Mental breakdown'

At one stage he was unhappy about appearing on Top of the Pops and walked out of a session recording in July 1967 after "freaking out".

"That really was the first sign of his complete mental breakdown," producer Richard Buskin wrote later.

"He never did come back into the studio any more after that, meaning that I had a hell of a hard time with the recordings".

He did turn up again, ironically on the day the other band members were recording a tribute to him, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

Just as Pink Floyd were about to achieve worldwide success, he retreated from public life to return to Cambridge.

Members of the band felt his breakdown might have happened even if he had not used drugs but felt that along with the pressures of fame, the substances he took probably acted as a catalyst.

After he finally drifted out of the music scene, his whereabouts were unknown for two decades, until he turned out to be living with his mother. wow, this sucks so much. RIP, Syd

*plays Shine On You Crazy Diamond*

[jobsfancy]

Wow, this really does suck. Syd was the person who named the band Pink Floyd (for those who don't know) and was a big influence and part of Pink Floyd.

RIP Syd...

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (his album with Pink Floyd) was really great, incredibley phsycadellic and some really whacky lyrics...I Love It

He'll be remembered forever imo.

Syd Barrett's biographer Tim Willis paid tribute to Barrett's legacy, saying: "I don't think we would have the David Bowie we have today if it wasn't for Syd.

"Arnold Lane is still one of Bowie's favourites. He sang it the other day, I believe. And in fact Bowie was very much a kind of clone of Syd in the early years," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"His influence is still going. New bands discover him all the time, there's always a Syd revival going on.

"If it wasn't the punks, it was REM, and I'm sure that Arnold Lane and Emily Play as pop songs will live forever." That was at the end of what you posted from the BBC site, Crazy Diamond.

[InvertPrete]

Wow, this is crazy. I guess the Wall was really true in some aspects of Syd's mental state.

Hell, I'm going to watch The Wall right now as a tribute.

[Brewpralgar]

The Wall was more of a look inside Roger Waters head actually... about the "wall" he built after he went mental on stage (okay, complained about people cheering and then spitting on a fan).

If yoy want a look inside Barrett's head, listen to early Pink Floyd... Piper At The Gates Of Dawn for example.

Anyway. At least the poor madman finally has peace now.

[mesZibeds]

Apparantley his mental problems went away at some point. I'm not sure when, but I was told this over MSN by a member here.