Richard Lloyd, the co-founding guitarist of Television whose intricate, interlocking guitar work helped redefine rock music in the 1970s, has died at the age of 75.
Lloyd died Saturday, November 7, at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to a statement from his family reported by Rolling Stone. His wife, Sheila, and their dog, Willie Mays, were with him. The cause of death was cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer. He was diagnosed with the disease in March.
Born October 25, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lloyd grew up with an interest in music and initially studied drums before turning to guitar. After moving to New York, he became part of the city’s burgeoning underground rock scene, where he would help lay the groundwork for American punk.
In 1973, Lloyd joined forces with singer-guitarist Tom Verlaine, bass guitarist Richard Hell and drummer Billy Ficca to form Television. The group became a fixture at CBGB, the downtown Manhattan club that would serve as a launching pad for the New York punk movement. Lloyd later claimed that he had helped establish the venue as a rock club by arranging for Television to play there in 1974, opening the door for other emerging acts.
Television’s 1977 debut, Marquee Moon, remains one of rock’s most influential guitar albums. Its eight-minute title track, in particular, showcased the remarkable musical chemistry between Lloyd — playing a 1961 Fender Stratocaster — and Verlaine, on a late-’50s Jazzmaster. Rather than relying on the power chords and blunt aggression associated with punk, the two guitarists developed an intricate musical conversation built on intertwining melodies, unexpected harmonic turns and extended instrumental passages.
The album also featured the songs “See No Evil,” “Friction” and “Venus.” Television followed it with Adventure in 1978, but internal tensions and limited commercial success contributed to the band’s breakup later that year.
Lloyd launched a solo career with Alchemy in 1979, followed by Field of Fire in 1986 and the live album Real Time in 1987. He also established himself as a distinctive collaborator, most notably contributing guitar to Matthew Sweet‘s acclaimed albums Girlfriend (1991), Altered Beast (1993) and 100% Fun (1995). His jagged, unpredictable playing provided a striking counterpoint to Sweet’s melodic power pop.
Television reunited in the early 1990s, recording a self-titled third album in 1992 and periodically performing together in the years that followed. Lloyd eventually departed in 2007, continuing to record and perform under his own name. His later solo releases included The Radiant Monkey (2007), The Jamie Neverts Story (2009), Rosedale (2016) and The Countdown (2018).
Lloyd also documented his remarkable journey through the New York rock scene in his 2017 memoir, Everything Is Combustible: Television, CBGB’s and Five Decades of Rock and Roll.
In a 2023 interview with Guitar Player, Lloyd discussed The Countdown, his approach to recording and the connection between his music and visual art. He described experiencing synesthesia, a condition in which the senses overlap, explaining that playing music brought colors to mind and painting felt like a musical experience.
“I’ve been painting for about three years now,” he said. “I suffer — or maybe I’m blessed — with synesthesia, where one sense blends into another.”
Read the full Guitar Player interview with Richard Lloyd here.
