Rick Wright: Wish You Were Here [Tribute Video]

Richard Wright, longtime pianist and keyboardist for Pink Floyd, would have turned 69 years old tomorrow.

He was born July 28, 1943 in Middlesex, England, but died of cancer on September 15, 2008 in London.

No, I didn't at first notice the seeming significance of the photo of Rick at the keyboards, but once I posted it I realized it was uncanny that it looked like he had sent it down from above.

Upon the news of Rick's death, bandmate David Gilmour said:

"No one can replace Richard Wright. He was my musical partner and my friend. In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten.

He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound. I have never played with anyone quite like him."

Roger Waters gave this statement:

"It is hard to overstate the importance of his musical voice in the Pink Floyd of the '60s and '70s.

The intriguing, jazz influenced, modulations and voicings so familiar in 'Us and Them' and 'Great Gig in the Sky,' which lent those compositions both their extraordinary humanity and their majesty, are omnipresent in all the collaborative work the four of us did in those times.

Rick's ear for harmonic progression was our bedrock."

According to an article in The Telegraph in 2009, at the time of his death, he had been working on a new solo album, which was thought to comprise a series of instrumental pieces.

If I could send a message I'd say, thanks for all the enchanting music and hopefully that great gig is even better than you imagined it would be, Rick!