You may not know saxophonist Dick Parry’s name, but if you’re a Pink Floyd fan, you’ve heard his work on some of the band’s best-known tracks. Guitarist David Gilmour has paid tribute to Parry, who he says passed away on May 22 at 83 years old.
“My dear friend Dick Parry died this morning. Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd,” Gilmour wrote on Instagram. “His feel and tone make his saxophone playing unmistakable, a signature of enormous beauty that is known to millions and is such a big part of songs such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Wish You Were Here, Us and Them and Money.”
Gilmour continued, “He played in the last band I had that included Rick Wright for the On An Island Tour and at Live 8 with Pink Floyd.”
Gilmour also shared several photos of him playing with Parry throughout the years, including one of a performance in Cambridge, England in 1963, years before they’d experienced any success.
In addition to the songs that Gilmour named, Parry also played on the 1994 Pink Floyd album, The Division Bell, and joined the band for every live performance from 1973 to 1977, and again in 1994.
Floyd wasn’t the only legendary band Parry played with: He toured as part of The Who’s brass section in 1979 and 1980, and played on Who bassist John Entwistle’s 1975 solo album, Mad Dog.
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