Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour Announces Death of “Dear Friend” and Longtime Bandmate 

Pink Floyd saxophonist Dick Parry passed away on Friday at the age of 83. His close friend, David Gilmour, announced Parry’s passing in a social media post on Friday afternoon.  

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The post was accompanied by a series of pictures of Parry playing saxophone.

“My dear friend Dick Parry died this morning. Since I was seventeen, I have played in bands with Dick on saxophone, including Pink Floyd,” the 80 year-old shared. “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’… ‘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.”

Parry played saxophone on several of Gilmour’s solo albums, in addition to several Pink Floyd songs. Some of his most recognizable works include solos on “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”.

Parry also contributed his musical abilities to projects outside of Pink Floyd and Gilmour. Some of these include Let’s Make Up and Be Friendly by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and Mad Dog by John Entwistle, in addition to other projects.

The Life of Dick Parry

Dick Parry was born in Kentford, Suffolk in England on December 22, 1942. Gilmour and Parry were lifelong friends, having met in Cambridge during their early years. In the 60s, Parry played saxaphone for The Soul Committee, a Cambridge based band. At Gilmour’s request, Parry played saxophone on several Pink Floyd albums, and toured with the band in the 70s, as well as during their 1994 world tour.

That year, Gilmour talked about the conversation that led Parry to come with him and the band on tour. Apparently, the saxophonist had quit performing and was living a relatively quiet life at the time.

“I asked him if he felt like auditioning for coming on the tour, to see if he still had his chops together, and he told me that he thought he was playing better than he’d ever played. And I got him down to the boat to have a little audition,” Gilmour shared.

After about “three phrases” as Gilmour explained, it was obvious that Parry still had the same chops he’d had years ago.

“Boom, he’s got that tone. It’s fantastic. You can recognize it straight away,” he shared. “And so he’s on the tour with us as well.”

The cause of Parry’s death is unknown.

Photo by: Mick Hutson/Redferns