Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett dies

"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire," the surviving members of Pink Floyd -- Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright -- said in a statement.

The singer and guitarist, born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, founded the band in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright. (Its name was derived from two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.)

He wrote many of the early hits for the avant-garde rock band, including the 1967 album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and the band's first hit singles, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play.

His songs were odd and charming combinations of childlike lyrics and swirling melodies, often augmented with strange arrangements. The titles alluded to space, the occult and sometimes nonsense: Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Chapter 24.

Pink Floyd, taken under the wing of Beatles engineer Norman Smith, had early success, but Barrett, suffering from mental problems and heavy drug use, started demonstrating erratic behavior, including catatonia during concerts. He left the band in 1968. He was replaced by David Gilmour, who had joined the band as its fifth member earlier that year.

Barrett put out two noted solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, both in 1970.

In 1975, during the recording of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album, Barrett showed up unannounced at the studio -- ironically, during the recording of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, a song about him. Wish You Were Here was dedicated to Barrett.

Much of British psychedelic music was influenced by Barrett. In a statement, David Bowie said that Barrett had been a "major inspiration."