In Memoriam: The Legendary Richard Lloyd Dies Aged 75

 

Richard Lloyd, known for his sophisticated musical style as a founding member and guitarist for the influential punk band Television, has died at the age of 75. Known for sophisticated musical style in band that played significant role in emerging 1970s punk rock movement

His family confirmed that Lloyd died Saturday morning at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “His loving wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end,” his family said in a statement to Rolling Stone.

According to his family, Lloyd's death was caused by cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer that he was diagnosed with in March 2026. A crowdfunding campaign had revealed that Lloyd had developed tumors in his liver and, crucially, there was one that could not be surgically removed.

Television, which formed in 1973, played a significant role in the emerging punk rock movement that grew up around CBGB, the legendary former music venue on the Bowery in New York City. The group was among the earliest punk acts to perform at the downtown venue, which had previously focused mainly on country and bluegrass music. During a 2007 interview, Lloyd reflected on his role in shaping the club's history, declaring: “CBGB’s is the most famous rock ‘n’ roll club to have ever existed and I fucking created it! I was the invisible force behind it.”

Television recorded just two studio albums during its peak in the late 1970s. The band’s first album, released in 1977, was Marquee Moon, which has since earned widespread recognition as a landmark recording. Rolling Stone ranked it No 107 on its 2023 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The record is still considered one of the most influential guitar-driven albums in rock history.

Lloyd was born Richard John Alt on Oct. 25, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Lloyd moved with his mother to New York City as an infant. He grew up in Greenwich Village, took up the guitar at an early age and attended concerts at the legendary Fillmore East as a teen; his struggles with mental health and substance abuse also began at this time. He attended New York’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School but dropped out before graduation.

After living briefly in Boston and Los Angeles, he returned to New York and gravitated toward the burgeoning scene around punk forerunners the New York Dolls. Verlaine and his longtime friend Richard Hell had formed a band called the Neon Boys with drummer Billy Ficca, and, after being introduced through Terry Ork (who would later release Television’s first single, "Little Johnny Jewel" on his self named independent label), brought Lloyd into the band. Hell left in 1975 and was replaced by Blondie bassist Fred Smith, raising the band’s instrumental prowess significantly.

Things progressed quickly for the band from there — David Bowie famously called Television "the most original band I’ve seen in New York" — and the band signed with Elektra Records in 1976 and released "Marquee Moon" in February of 1977. Domestic sales were unimpressive but the band, and the scene, captured the imaginations of the influential British rock music press — where punk rock was exploding — and the band actually enjoyed three hit singles, successful tours and two top 10 albums in the U.K.

However, the success was short-lived, as the band — marred by Lloyd's debilitating heroin addiction — split shortly after the released of its second album, "Adventure." Despite that, an album titled "Live at the Old Waldorf," recorded in June of 1978 shortly before the band’s dissolution, finds them at the peak of their powers.