Rolling Stone reports that the musician has lost his battle with cancer.
“The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer,” said a spokesperson for the family.
When Wright was a student, he met Roger Waters and Nick Mason. The three were first known as Sigma 6, but changed their name to Pink Floyd when singer Syd Barrett joined the band.
Among Wright’s co-writing credits are the 1973 hits The Great Gig in the Sky and Us and Them, from the album The Dark Side of the Moon.
When working on the album The Wall, tensions were mounting between Wright and Roger Waters, resulting in Wright being fired from his own band. He reunited with his former band mates in 1987 for the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. He also shared the stage with other Pink Floyd members in 1985 when they performed at London’s Live 8 concert.