Richard Wright, 2006. cc-licensed photo by deep schismic

Rick Wright, who played the shimmering keyboards that helped give Pink Floyd their signature sound, died today at age 65 after a battle with cancer.

Only saw him once, on the Animals tour in 1977 at Madison Square Garden. Absolutely amazing. What can you say. Nobody else had that sound. Just think about the keyboards on "Have a Cigar" from Wish You Were Here (that whole album is full of brilliant stuff: spectral keyboards, deft piano, dazzling synths). Or, of course, Dark Side of the Moon. Wright helped define the sound of the album that spent more than ten years on the Billboard charts. Goodbye to a rock legend.

Read more here: Wikipedia entry; obits: NYTimes, MTV.