Richard Lloyd, the co-founding guitarist of Television, has died at 75. The cause was cholangiocarcinoma, a bile duct cancer diagnosed in March, the New York Times reported. His family told Rolling Stone that his wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end.
A band that released two albums in its first run still has its debut, Marquee Moon, never out of print. “We were ahead of the curve,” he told KEXP in 2017. “Marquee Moon still sells — it’s never been out of print. And it’s still on top records of all time lists, which makes me proud and happy.”
In August, a GoFundMe had been launched to help cover the cost of his treatment.
Remembering Television Co-Founder Richard Lloyd
- Richard Lloyd died at 75 of bile duct cancer, diagnosed in March; a GoFundMe for his treatment was launched in August.
- He co-founded Television in 1973, whose Marquee Moon and Adventure made the band part of a pioneering first-wave of punk acts.
- By his own account to KEXP in 2017, the album had never been out of print.
Two Guitars at CBGB: How Television Built Its Sound
Television came together in 1973. Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, and Billy Ficca had been playing as the Neon Boys; they recruited Lloyd as a second guitarist. As Chris Dahlen wrote in Pitchfork’s review of Marquee Moon and Adventure, “Richard Lloyd chisels notes out hard while Verlaine works with a subtle twang and a trace of space-gazing delirium. They play lines that are stately and chiming, rutting and torrential, the riff, the solo, the rare power chord, and most of all, the power note.”
The band built a cult following at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB, the New York rooms where first-wave punk took shape.
Television’s Output
Television dissolved in 1978 after releasing Marquee Moon and Adventure. The band returned for one final LP, Television, in 1992.
| Album | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Marquee Moon | N/A | Per Lloyd, never out of print |
| Adventure | N/A | Released before dissolving in 1978 |
| Television | 1992 | Final LP |
Television’s influence was massive. What the band left behind was a way of playing.
From Pittsburgh to Greenwich Village
Lloyd was born Richard John Alt in 1951 in Pittsburgh. After his parents split, his mother remarried and moved the family to Greenwich Village — the neighborhood where, at the age of seven, he began playing the guitar.
What the Family Said
The statement to Rolling Stone was brief and personal: “His loving wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end,” his family said. The story is developing.
