American musician Richard Lloyd, a founder of the New York band Television, has died at 75. His exchanges with fellow guitarist Tom Verlaine helped define the group’s debut, Marquee Moon. Television made three studio albums, and Lloyd continued recording outside the group, releasing nine solo albums and playing on records by other musicians.
American guitarist Richard Lloyd, who helped found the New York band Television, has died at 75. His family confirmed his death.[1], [2]
A campaign to raise money for his treatment began in August. Lloyd’s family said his wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end. He was born Richard John Alt in Pittsburgh in 1951 and began playing guitar at seven. His family later lived in Greenwich Village in New York.[1]
Television formed in 1973, after Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell and Billy Ficca’s earlier group, the Neon Boys. Lloyd joined them as a second guitarist. Television played New York clubs including Max’s Kansas City. The interaction between Lloyd and Verlaine’s guitars became a distinctive part of the band’s sound within the emerging punk scene.[1]
The debut album Marquee Moon came out through Elektra in 1977. Adventure followed in 1978, before the group broke up amid tensions between its guitarists.[1]
Television reunited for a self-titled studio album in 1992, its final one. Verlaine died in 2023. Lloyd released nine solo albums outside the band and contributed guitar to recordings by Matthew Sweet, Stephan Eicher and John Doe, the singer from the group X.[1]
