Pink Floyd

Richard Wright, Sept. 15, age 65: The longtime Pink Floyd keyboardist may not have been as flashy as bandmates David Gilmour or Roger Waters, but it was Wright's intensive musicality that was seen as a major influence of the band's signature sound, from its earliest days. Wright... more met Waters at university, and was a founding member of the band in 1965. His work shaped the band's groundbreaking disc, "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973), which also featured two of Wright's own songs, "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them." Friction with Waters led Wright to leave the band in the early '80s, though he joined them as a session player for several recordings, and explored solo projects throughout the '80s and '90s. In 2005, Wright rejoined his bandmates onstage in London for Live 8, the first concert featuring the full band in years. Upon his death, Gilmour paid tribute: "He was gentle, unassuming and private, but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound. ... I have never played with anyone quite like him."

(Jorgen Angel/Retna Ltd.)