Richard Tandy (right) has died at the age of 76 (Picture: Getty Images)
Richard Tandy, the keyboardist for the iconic band Electric Light Orchestra, has died at 76 years old.
The Birmingham band’s front man Jeff Lynne announced the news on Facebook, writing: ‘He was a remarkable musician & friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.’
Tandy was born in Birmingham in 1948. Bev Bevan and Roy Wood founded Electric Light Orchestra in 1970 and Tandy soon joined the group, having previously been classmates with Bevan.
The pair recruited eventual bandleader Jeff Lynne the same year and began to shape their now distinctive sound.
Tandy first performed with the group as the bassist and later as the keyboardist and is often credited with being a central force behind the band’s success.
Tandy was also responsible for the trademark synthesizer sound that was integral to the band’s music until they split up in 1986. ELO was known for blending rock’n’roll with orchestral components, creating disco-infused pop music that became essential to the era.
ELO released albums and singles throughout the 70s and 80s, many of which charted in the UK.
They reached mainstream success in 1977 with their album Out of the Blue, often considered to be their magnum opus. Their albums Discovery (1979) and the science-fiction-themed concept album Time (1981) both reached the top of the British charts.
Between 1973 and 1986 the band sold over 50 million records worldwide and earned 27 Top 40 songs on the UK Singles Chart and fifteen Top 20 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In their heyday the group was comprised of (left to right) cellist Melvyn Gale, cellist Hugh McDowell, singer and drummer Bev Bevan, singer and guitarist Jeff Lynne, keyboard player Richard Tandy, bassist and singer Kelly Groucutt, and violinist Mik Kaminski (Picture: Getty Images)
Tandy was one of the original members of Electric Light Orchestra (Picture: Vivien Killilea/WireImage)
Lynne eventually reformed the band in the 2000s and Tandy was the only member to rejoin him in the new iteration of the group.
In 2017, Tandy was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
ELO announced their final tour last month, but it remains to be seen whether the band will perform as planned given Tandy’s sudden passing.
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