Syd Barrett, one of the founding members of iconic band Pink Floyd, has died.
Barrett died on Friday 7th July at his home with complications arising from diabetes. He was 60 years old.
The guitarist was an influential member of the group in the early years. After leaving the band he went on to live a reclusive life, away from the public eye, with drugs cited as the main reason for his mental state in the ongoing years.
He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album. He went on to live as a recluse, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs.
A spokesperson for the band revealed the sad news today, she said: "He died very peacefully a couple of days ago."
She added, "There will be a private family funeral."
A statement from Pink Floyd said: "The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death.
"Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."
Barrett wrote most of the bands debut album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' but struggled to cope with the bands success, he was replaced in the band by Dave Gilmour.
Barrett's biographer Tim Willis said the guitarist's music left a lasting legacy.
"I don't think we would have the David Bowie we have today if it wasn't for Syd," he told BBC Radio Five Live.
"Bowie was very much a kind of clone of Syd in the early years. 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 Layne and Emily Play as pop songs will live forever."
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Syd Barrett, one of the founding members of iconic band Pink Floyd, has died.
