Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd legacy hangs on

Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd legacy hangs on

David Riedel
CBS News
July 7, 2011

Syd Barrett died five years ago on July 7. You may recognize his name as the guy Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is always droning on about or the guy whose songs you skip when listening to "Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd," the otherwise decent two-disc song compilation from 2001.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd and was with the band for several years. The guitarist wrote the bulk of the band's songs on its 1967 debut, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn." He also wrote one track and played guitar on its follow-up, "A Saucerful of Secrets."

The other members of Floyd gently forced him out in 1968. His departure has been blamed on mental deterioration brought on by drug use. Barrett released two solo albums in 1970, "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett."

Perhaps Barrett's greatest contribution to Pink Floyd is its name (originally The Pink Floyd Sound) and his legacy, which Waters and Rolling Stone magazine will never let anyone forget. Barrett served as inspiration for the epic track - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" - that bookends the band's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here."

He died on July 7, 2006, of pancreatic cancer. He had also suffered for years from diabetes.