MUMBAI: Renowned British rock group Deep Purple co-founder and keyboardist Jon Lord passed away on 16 July at the London Clinic after suffering a fatal pulmonary embolism.
Aged 71, the keyboardist is survived by wife Vicky and two daughters, Amy Cherrington and Sara Lord. His first marriage to Judith Feldman ended in divorce.
Confirming the news, the official site stated, "It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jon Lord, who suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday 16 July, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jon was surrounded by his loving family."
Last year in August, Lord announced that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and would be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure. "I shall of course be continuing to write music -- in my world it just has to be part of the therapy -- and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year," he wrote.
Born in 1941 at Leicester, England, Lord was trained in classical piano at a young age and by his teens; the musician was part of several jazz, blues and pop groups. In 1968, Lord founded Deep Purple and was virtually the leader of the band until 1970.
Lord has co-written numerous Deep Purple songs including chartbuster hits like 'Smoke on the Water', 'Anthem', 'April and Hush'. During his musical career, the legendary musician also collaborated with various other bands like Whitesnake, Paice, Ashton and Lord, The Artwoods and Flower Pot Men. He pioneered the fusion of rock and orchestral music with his ‘Concerto for Group and Orchestra’ which was first performed live along with his band Deep Purple at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1969. Deep Purple was once listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's loudest band and went through many line-ups and a split between 1976 and 1984.
Even after the retirement in 2002 from Deep Purple, Lord's solo work was universally acclaimed. His solo pieces included his 1976 orchestral work 'Sarabande', and last year he also announced that he was working on a definitive studio recording of his 'Concerto for Group and Orchestra'.