` 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. R.I.P.
It's interesting to note that people who explored the limits of how many drugs the human body can take in one lifetime--like Syd Barrett and Jerry Garcia--are dying of perfectly normal causes. Both of them lived to statistically reasonable ages for diabetics, it would be hard to even make a case for drugs having weakened them. I saw "The Wall" concert from the 16th row in Los Angeles. One of my fondest memories. Of course Syd was no longer in the band, but apparently his strength was songwriting, not performing. When a band fires one of its founding members because he keeps trying to pick his guitar with the ribbed wheel on a cigarette lighter, and a typical concert review includes the line, "He played like the fingers of his left hand and the fretboard on his guitar were complete strangers," it's probably for the best. David Gilmour went on to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, and added a dimension to the band that was probably responsible for it being able to maintain its connection to the rock audience long after the Acid Rock era ended. "Dark Side of the Moon," with Gilmour, would still be on the Billboard Top 200. They had to pass a special rule setting a maximum time limit. If there's any music from the rock era that people will still be listening to 200 years later like Beethoven--or 900 years later like "Greensleeves"-- my short list includes Pink Floyd.
