The news was shared by Jeff Lynne, leader and co-founder of the group. Tandy was 76 years old.
Richard Tandythe keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist whose tenure with Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) lasted more than 50 years, died, according to a statement from Jeff Lynne, leader and co-founder of the group. No cause of death was given, although various media outlets said he had been ill for several years; he was 76 years old.
“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy.”, Lynne wrote on social media. “He was an extraordinary musician and friend and I will cherish a lifetime of memories we had together. Sending all my love to Sheila and the Tandy family.”
Richard Tandy and his career with the ELO
Tandy, who joined the group in 1973 after the release of their debut album, made a powerful contribution to ELO’s signature sound, his funk-influenced synthesizers, piano and clavinet bringing alternately classical and soulful music to hits ranging from from “Evil Woman” and “Strange Magic” until “Livin’ Thing” and “Telephone Line”. His voice altered by the vocoder is the one that sounds in “Mr. “Blue Sky”the group’s hit from 1977. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2017.
With ELO he reached his commercial peak in the late 70s with the albums “Out of the Blue” and “Discovery”, and moved into more electronic areas (like much of the rest of pop music), in the early ’80s, with Tandy taking on a major role as lead keyboardist. The group fell out of commercial favor as the ’80s progressed and released the final album “Balance of Power”in 1986. Lynne subsequently moved to California and worked closely as a producer and musician with George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and the Traveling Wilbury.
When Lynne reformed ELO in 2001 for the album “Zoom”, Tandy played on it and joined the following tour; When the group reformed as Jeff Lynne’s ELO In 2015, he did not play on the album, but was behind his keyboards center stage on the following tour, with a vocal microphone that he only used to say the vocoder words “Mr. Blue Sky” Lynne affectionately introduced him to the audience as “a guy who’s been playing with me for 44 years.”
Last month, Jeff Lynne’s ELO announced the dates for what was described as the group’s “final” tour, “Over and Out”although the lineup of musicians was not announced.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
