RIP
Floyd founder Wright dies at 65
Wright (right) wrote songs on albums including Dark Side Of The Moon
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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 theGates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside lead guitarist Syd Barrett, RogerWaters and Nick Mason.
Dave Gilmour joined the band at the start of 1968 while Barrett left the group shortly afterwards.
Gilmour said: "He was such a lovely, gentle, genuine man and will be missed terribly by so many who loved him."
Writing on his website, he added: "And that's a lotof people. Did he not get the loudest, longest round of applause at theend of every show in 2006?"
Wright's spokesman said in a statement: "The family of RichardWright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness thatRichard died today after a short struggle with cancer.
"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
He did not say what form of cancer the self-taught keyboard player and pianist had.
Live 8
Wright, a founder member of The Pink Floyd Sound - and otherprevious incarnations including Sigma 6 - met Waters and Mason atarchitecture school.
Wright rejoined Pink Floyd for the London Live 8 concert in 2005
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Pink Floyd achieved legendary status with albumsincluding 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon, which stayed in the USalbum chart for more than a decade.Wright, known as Rick earlier in his career, wrote The Great Gig In The Sky and Us And Them from the album.
Waters left the band in 1981, performing his last concert at London's Earls Court.
Wright, together with Gilmour and Mason, continued to record andtour as Pink Floyd during the remainder of the 1980s and into the1990s, releasing their last studio album - The Division Bell - in 1994.
In 2005, the full band reunited - for the first time in 24 years - for the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park.
Wright also contributed vocals and keyboards to Gilmour's 2006solo album On An Island, while performing with his touring band inshows in Europe and the US.