Legendary keyboardist and co-founder of the band Deep Purple, Jon Lord, has died at age 71.
Here the message posted on his website:
It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jon Lord, who suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday 16th July at the London Clinic, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jon was surrounded by his loving family.
Jon Lord, the legendary keyboard player with Deep Purple co-wrote many of the bands legendary songs including Smoke On The Water and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career.
Best known for his Orchestral work Concerto for Group & Orchestra first performed at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 and conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold, a feat repeated in 1999 when it was again performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple.
Jons solo work was universally acclaimed when he eventually retired from Deep Purple in 2002.
Jon passes from Darkness to Light.
Jon Lord 9 June 1941 16 July 2012.
Statement from Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore:
"Jon was not only a great musician, he was my favorite dinner companion. We are all deeply saddened. We knew was sick but the word was that he was recovering and doing much better. This news came as a complete shock. Without Jon there would be no DEEP PURPLE. He lives on in our hearts and memories."
Statement from Deep Purple bassist / founder Roger Glover:
"It’s unthinkable that Jon is gone. My thoughts are for his wife Vicky and all his children and family at this sad
moment in their lives. I wish them all strength. A great sadness and sense of loss hangs over me. Not only has the music world lost a fantastic musician but a gentleman of the finest order. He was a giant
in my life, a great friend, a fellow traveler, a teacher, not only of music, but of life. I am devastated at his passing."
Statement from Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan:
"He was just an amazing character and, I suppose, the godfather of DEEP PURPLE, and we all looked up to him with tremendous
admiration....If there was such a thing as a typical English gentleman in rock music, then it was Jon Lord. We've allbeen touched by Jon one way or another — anyone who's involved in music, not only the fans, but also behind the scenes. We all know Jon for the inspiration and the incredible talent that he was. I could speak for hours about what he's given us. We shall carry his memory forward and his music, of course."
Statement from Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman:
"I first became aware of Jon Lord in the mid-Sixties when 'Hush' was released and I bought the album 'Shades Of Deep Purple', which was an album way ahead of its time. For obvious reasons, I paid special attention to the organ style and sound as it was quite different from how other Hammond players were using the instrument. I became a genuine admirer and fan of Jon that day and remained so with everything he did.
We became real friends just a few years ago, although we had met on numerous occasions prior to that. We did talks together at music conservatories, we met for lunch and most importantly made music together. We wrote a piece 12 months ago for the Sunflower Jam at the Royal Albert Hall. We wrote this piece together at John Henry's rehearsal studios in London and it was so easy because we had such different styles and because Jon was concentrating heavily on the Hammond and I on synthesizers, the blend was quite magical. The piece was performed just the once and I am told was filmed, although I have never seen the footage.
We sat in the dressing room which we shared at the Royal Albert Hall and made plans to do an album together. We were both utterly convinced that we could come up with something very special as our styles blended so well together. Our love of classical music and also working that style within that of rock music also completed the bond. We arranged to meet up later that month.
One week before we were due to meet, Jon called me with the news he was ill. He was very positive and actually said he'd never felt better in his life and so he would beat it however long it took and so to bear with our project which went on hold.
We spoke a couple of times after that and the last message I got was that he was responding well to his treatment. The news has hurt me like no other loss of a musician I have known. I can only thank him for the legacy he has left us all with his great music, great vision and for his kindness as he was one of the most gentle and kind persons I have ever had the pleasure of being able to call my friend."
Statement from ex-Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes:
"I am extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Jon Lord today. [He was] one of the nicest and most talented people I've ever met. Rest in peace."
Statement from ex-Deep Purple vocalist Joe Lynn Turner:
"I am deeply saddened about the passing of Jon Lord. I am proud and humbled to have known him both personally and professionally, and blessed to share a special time with him. He was a true and gifted original, a gentleman of the industry, and he shall be greatly missed! My sincerest sympathies to his family and relatives and to all of us who have lost one of the great musicians of our time! R.I.P., Jon... May God hold you in his hands."
Statement from ex-Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet:
"It is with great shock and deep sadness that I was informed of the loss of a dear friend and great musician, Jon Lord. You brought fun, laughter, silliness and light with your sense of humor to everything you worked on, you changed the world of rock with your unique take on it all. I send my love, thoughts, and deepest sympathy to his family. God bless you, Jon. (You will be) forever in our hearts."
Statement from ex-Deep Purple, Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale:
"It was an absolute joy and pleasure for me to know him and to work alongside him. He is missed already."
Statement from Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich:
"Ever since my father took me to see them in 1973 in Copenhagen, at the impressionable age of 9, Deep Purple has been the most constant, continuous and inspiring musical presence in my life. They have meant more to me than any other band in existence, and have had an enormous part in shaping who I am. So obviously I'm beyond bummed, saddened and devastated by [yesterday's] news of the untimely passing of keyboardist Jon Lord.
We can all be guilty of lightly throwing adjectives like 'unique,' 'one-of-a-kind' and 'pioneering' around when we want to describe our heroes and the people who've moved us, but there are no more fitting words than those right now and there simply was no musician like Jon Lord in the history of hard rock. Nobody. Period.
There was nobody that played like him. There was nobody that sounded like him. There was nobody that wrote like him. There was nobody that looked like him. There was nobody more articulate, gentlemanly, warm, or fucking cooler that ever played keyboards or got anywhere near a keyboard. What he did was all his own. Including obviously his unique sound. Whatever it was he did with that Hammond organ, the way the Leslie distorted what he was playing and pushed it to some unheard of place, the way he attacked it while he was throwing it around, and whatever the fuck else it was that was going down between Jon and 'The Beast,' as he called his organ, it was unlike anything before, during or after. That simple.
Deep Purple, of course, was also an entity all their own, always unpredictable, often impulsive, never repetitive and most of the time, otherworldly. I had the good fortune of seeing them three times in Copenhagen between '73 and '75, numerous times again on the reunion runs in '85 and '87. We even played a couple of gigs in Germany with them in the summer of '87 and, needless to say, every time was an experience that had a major impact on me. Seeing Jon on stage right playing the riffs, the colorings, the textures, the next level solos, intros, outros, blues bits, classical pieces and whatever else came into his head each night and on top of that keeping up with Ritchie Blackmore song after song, night after night, was the sign of the master of his craft . . . the most accomplished, original and unique hard rock keyboardist that ever walked this planet.
In 1992 when we played Munich on the 'Black Album' tour, Jon Lord and lead singer, Ian Gillan came down to the show and stood in the snake pit the whole time. I was in heaven. Performing in front of members of the band that had meant more to me than anything in my life was a dream come true. And when I got a signed note after the show that they had had to leave and get back to their milk and cookies and be ready for the recording sessions the next day, I was simply beyond psyched. My hero(es) in the fuckin snake pit.!!!!! 'Look, Mom, on top of the fuckin world!!"
Statement from Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi
"I was so shocked and saddened to hear the news of Jon's passing. Jon was not only a magnificent keyboard player and musician but a wonderful human being and a true gentleman. I'm honored to have had the opportunity to play together with him. We've lost a true legend but his music will live on in all of our hearts. My deepest thoughts go out to his family.
