Television guitarist Richard Lloyd (75) dies of cancer
What's the story
Richard Lloyd, the co-founder and guitarist of the iconic band Television, has passed away at the age of 75. His family confirmed that he died on Saturday morning at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, due to cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), which he was diagnosed with in March. "His loving wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end," they said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Musical legacy
Early life and formation of Television
Born on October 25, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lloyd was raised mostly in New York City.
He initially played the drums but switched to guitar after a "hallucinatory experience."
He later formed Television with Tom Verlaine (who passed away in 2023), Richard Hell, and Billy Fica.
The band's intricate guitar work on their debut album Marquee Moon (1977) cemented their place in punk history despite releasing only two more albums: Adventure (1978) and Television (1992).
Early years
His musical journey before forming Television
Lloyd's first guitar partner was Velvert Turner, a Brooklyn musician studying under Jimi Hendrix.
After dropping out of high school, he moved to Boston and played with blues legend John Lee Hooker.
He also spent time in Los Angeles before returning to New York City and immersing himself in the proto-punk scene, according to Rolling Stone.
Television was formed shortly after his return in 1973, when manager Terry Ork introduced him to Verlaine at a club.
Signature style
His signature style and guitar work
Lloyd once told The Stranger, "I saw Tom play and I thought, 'He's got it.' And I knew I had it. But I was missing something and so was he."
"What he was missing, I could supply. And vice versa."
"All the filigrees and arabesques on Marquee Moon are all mine. During the verses, when Tom's singing, I'm playing all the melody."
His guitar work on songs like Venus and Guiding Light added depth to the band's sound.
Personal battles
Struggles with addiction and later career
Despite his success with Television, Lloyd struggled with drug addiction in the 1980s.
He admitted to overdosing multiple times and compared his life during that time to the Great Depression.
It wasn't until 1984 that he got sober and released a second solo album, Field of Fire, two years later.
Over his career, he released seven more albums, including a live record, Real Time (1987), and a collection of unreleased material, Lodestones (2010).