Richard Lloyd, Television Guitarist, Dies at 75 — SkimNews
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- Richard Lloyd died at 75 of cholangiocarcinoma, as reported by The New York Times; Rolling Stone quoted his family saying Sheila and dog Willie Mays were with him at the end, and a GoFundMe was launched in August to raise money for his treatment.
- Television formed in 1973 after Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell and Billy Ficca ended the Neon Boys and recruited Lloyd as a second guitarist, building a cult following at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB as part of New York City’s pioneering punk scene.
- Elektra released Television’s seminal Marquee Moon in 1977, followed by the sophomore album Adventure in 1978; tensions between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd led to the group’s initial breakup.
- Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine drove Television’s elaborate guitar interplay, which Pitchfork’s Chris Dahlen contrasted as Lloyd chiseling notes out hard against Verlaine’s subtle twang.
- Richard Lloyd built a prolific solo career after Television’s breakup, releasing nine albums and contributing guitar to records by Matthew Sweet, Stephan Eicher and John Doe of X.
- Richard Lloyd said in this year’s Guitar World interview that he had resumed playing Television songs, his own songs and covers after years of avoiding Television material, describing “a responsibility to the fans” as his duty as the band’s last functioning member.
Why it matters: For fans, Television has now lost its last functioning member after Tom Verlaine’s 2023 death, removing the player who said he had “a responsibility to the fans” to perform the band’s material. Lloyd had only recently resumed playing Television songs after years of avoiding them, making stewardship of that catalog an explicit late-career role.
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