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Pink Floyd's Barrett dies aged 60
Syd Barrett
Barrett became a recluse in the 1970s after leaving Pink Floyd
Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60 from complications arising from diabetes.

He was born Roger Barrett in Cambridge and met future bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour at school there.

The guitarist was invited to join Pink Floyd by Waters in 1965 but left three years later after only one album with his mental state affected by drugs.

"He died very peacefully a couple of days ago," said the band's spokeswoman.

"There will be a private family funeral."

Barrett was the band's first creative force and an influential songwriter - but his drug intake soon began to affect his place in the band.

Often he would be seen standing on stage with his guitar dangling from his neck, staring into the crowd.

'Mental breakdown'

At one stage he was unhappy about appearing on Top of the Pops and walked out of a session recording in July 1967 after "freaking out".

"That really was the first sign of his complete mental breakdown," producer Richard Buskin wrote later.

"He never did come back into the studio any more after that, meaning that I had a hell of a hard time with the recordings".

He did turn up again, ironically on the day the other band members were recording a tribute to him, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

Just as Pink Floyd were about to achieve worldwide success, he retreated from public life to return to Cambridge.

Members of the band felt his breakdown might have happened even if he had not used drugs but felt that along with the pressures of fame, the substances he took probably acted as a catalyst.

After he finally drifted out of the music scene, his whereabouts were unknown for two decades, until he turned out to be living with his mother.

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The Floydians