Richard Lloyd dies at 75
The cause of death was cholangiocarcinoma, a bile duct cancer he was diagnosed with in March 2026.
A crowdfunding campaign had previously revealed that Lloyd had developed tumors in his liver, including one that could not be surgically removed.
Television helped launch the CBGB music scene
Television formed in New York City in 1973 and quickly became a pillar of the gritty downtown music scene. The band helped launch the legendary Bowery club CBGB alongside acts like Blondie, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones.
Lloyd recalled in a video for Guitar World that the group didn’t quite fit into the musical genres the club’s founder, Hilly Kristal, had in mind. “We’re the band that needed a place to play, so we found a dump on the Bowery called CBGB’s,” Lloyd stated.
Lenny Kaye and Lloyd shared a guitar brotherhood
The band recorded two studio albums during its initial peak, starting with the 1977 landmark record Marquee Moon. Lenny Kaye, guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, noted that Television made experimentalism accessible through strange songs wrapped in a pop aura.
Kaye shared a close bond with Lloyd during the mid-1970s when their groups frequently shared bills at CBGB for about seven weeks in early 1975. “We were guitar brothers,” Kaye said on WUSF, describing how the pair would sneak next door to a Bowery flophouse to share a joint and swap guitar tips.
Lloyd maintained a solo career and rigorous regimen
After Television disbanded in 1978, Lloyd launched a solo career that yielded nine albums, beginning with his 1979 debut, Alchemy. Beyond his songwriting, Lloyd possessed a deep command of music theory and maintained a rigorous physical regimen to support his playing; he once told WNYU in 1986 that he performed calisthenics for his forearm and used a “rubber doughnut” to strengthen his grip.
Collaborator James Mastro remembered him on Instagram as a multifaceted artist, calling him a guitarist, songwriter, scientist, teacher, curmudgeon, and comedian. “I love them all and will miss each one of them,” Mastro wrote.
As Lloyd reflected on his past in a final musical coda, he sang: “I’ve got a vague, vague, vague recollection from somewhere in the distant past.”
Earlier coverage: Richard Lloyd, Television Guitarist and Punk Virtuoso, Dies at 75
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