Richard Lloyd, the cofounder and guitarist of punk group Television, has died after battling a rare cancer. He was 75.
Lloyd's family confirmed he died early Saturday, Nov. 7, at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from a bile duct cancer known as cholangiocarcinoma.
"He was a musician’s musician. Bless him," the former representative of the since-disbanded group said in a statement to USA TODAY. Rolling Stone reported that "his loving wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end."
Through his guitar contributions, Lloyd helped Television become one of the most influential groups in the punk music scene alongside bassist Richard Hell, drummer Billy Ficca and frontman Tom Verlaine, who died in January 2023 at age 73 following a brief
illness.
Who was Television guitarist Richard Lloyd?
Born in 1951 in Pittsburgh as Richard John Alt, Lloyd soon moved to New York City as an infant with his mother and was raised in Greenwich Village. He got his hands on a guitar at a young age and as a teen he watched concerts at the historic Fillmore East rock venue, according to the New York Times.
Around this period he grappled with substance abuse and was treated at several mental health institutions, the Times reported.
What was Television, Richard Lloyd's band?
The "See No Evil" band drew influence from other jazz, art rock and even jam bands, integrating those genres into its signature blend, which included Verlaine's deadpan vocals, unconventional song structures and virtuosic guitar solos, often played on Fender Jazzmaster guitars.
They formed in New York City in 1973 before releasing their debut album, "Marquee Moon," in 1977. However, their peak success was short-lived; they disbanded the following year, shortly after the 1978 release of their sophomore record, "Adventure." They later reunited in 1990, and Lloyd left the group in 2007.
Lloyd's solo career spanned decades, from his debut album "Alchemy" in 1979 to his last album, "The Countdown," in 2018.
Verlaine and Lloyd lost contact for many years, the New York Times reported, though Lloyd never stopped admiring the singer's talent.
"There’s no denying that Tom was a genius," he told Guitar World. "He was a poet. I’m not poetic. His double and triple entendre was better than mine... But in the realm of our magic, my guitar playing was on another level."
When was Richard Lloyd diagnosed?
Lloyd was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in March, according to a GoFundMe organized by his friend and Richard Lloyd Group bassist Sean Seymour. The musician has tumors in his liver, including one near a major blood vessel that doctors cannot safely remove through surgery, Seymour said.
According to Mayo Clinic, cholangiocarcinoma develops in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. The Cleveland Clinic says the disease affects about 8,000 people in the U.S. each year.
His illness rendered him unable to tour, which Seymour said was "devastating" for "a working musician."
"I am usually a pretty upbeat person and I am taking this in stride, but it has become very difficult on our own and financially we are strapped," Lloyd said in a statement shared on the GoFundMe page. "That's why I'm asking for your help. If you can see your way clear to make a donation please do that. Otherwise, please pass it around to your friends that might help and people that know me."
Contributing: Sameen Chaudhry, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richard Lloyd, pioneering Television guitarist, dies at 75 after rare cancer
