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• Syd Barrett was a founding member and original frontman of the seminal psychedelic art-rock band Pink Floyd. Though he wrote the majority of the band's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (and continued to occasionally contribute to Pink Floyd when he was able for a few years), he was kicked out of the group and replaced by David Gilmour in 1968 due to his erratic and behavior, much of it likely caused by his frequent use of psychedelic drugs.

  As Pink Floyd continued their journey to becoming one of the most influential bands in rock and roll, Barrett released two post-Floyd solo records produced by former bandmates Gilmour and Roger Waters. In 1974 he gave up making music altogether, became a recluse, and fell into a downward spiral of mental illness; his life and mental breakdown remained a subject of Pink Floyd's later music. In 2006, Barrett passed away at the age of 60.

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Roger Keith Barrett
  2. Born: January 6, 1946
  3. Died: July 7, 2006
  4. Hometown: Cambridge, England
  5. Founding member of Pink Floyd
  6. Pink Floyd Years: 1965 — 1968
  7. Solo Years: 1968 — 1972
  8. Spent his later years painting and gardening
  9. Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is about Barrett

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  Pink Floyd | Roger Waters | David Gilmour | Richard Wright | Richard Wright Dead | The Beatles | The Rolling Stones | The Beach Boys | The Who | John Peel | Jimi Hendrix | Captain Beefheart | The Doors | Donovan | Bob Dylan | David Bowie | Frank Zappa | Brian Wilson | Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon

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