Syd Barrett

British singer/songwriter guitarist Syd Barrett was an art-school student in London when he founded and named Pink Floyd [see entry] in 1964. He wrote "See Emily Play" and "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" for the group, and his acid-inspired lyrics were the quintessence of London's 1967 Summer of Love. Barrett was dismissed from the band in April 1968 because of his drug-induced personality problems; David Gilmour replaced him after covering for him when he began missing shows. Barrett released two intriguing but poor-selling solo albums in 1970. He appeared on John Peel's BBC radio show (released on album in 1987) and did a couple of gigs with a loose-knit band called Stars. He basically had been living in Cambridge as a recluse since 1972, and in recent years suffered from declining health. Pink Floyd dedicated a popular 1975 song, "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond," to its eccentric founder. Barrett's surreal songwriting and atmospheric sound has influenced such artists as Robyn Hitchcock and Julian Cope. Syd Barrett died at age sixty on July 7th, 2006 from complications due to diabetes.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)