“It is with immense sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy. He was a remarkable musician and friend and I will cherish a lifetime of memories we experienced together,” posted Jeff Lynne, the leader of Electric Light Orchestra, on May 1 on his networks. The date and cause of death of the 76-year-old musician have not been specified.
Born March 26, 1948 in England, Richard Tandy joined the famous rock group in 1972, after the release of its first album. He first joined the band as a bassist before becoming its keyboardist.
Richard Tandy contributed to the group’s worldwide fame in the 1970s, thanks to his orchestral arrangements and until its dissolution in 1986. In 2014, Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy returned to service, but without historic drummer Bev Bevan.
Electric Light Orchestra has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, placing more than twenty titles in the British top 40 and almost as many in the United States. Among their greatest successes, we find the legendary “Mr. Blue Sky” or “Don’t Bring Me Down”.
