Tributes have been shared for Television guitarist and co-founder Richard Lloyd, with Johnny Marr and Lloyd Cole among those remembering the influential musician, who died Saturday at the age of 75.
Marr, whose guitar playing with the Smiths was heavily influenced by Television’s pioneering sound, remembered Lloyd as “a true inspiration,” while Cole praised the guitarist’s contribution to the songs that made the band so distinctive.
“R.I.P Richard Lloyd. A seeker and finder and a true inspiration with and without the guitar,” Marr wrote on Instagram. “It was an honour to know him and a blessing to have been a fan. Thank you Richard. Carry on my friend.”
Cole, meanwhile, recalled seeing Television just once, but said Lloyd’s playing made a lasting impression.
“RIP Richard Lloyd. I only saw Television once – all those amazing riffs that drive the songs – Richard played them all,” he wrote on X.
I just heard. RIP Richard Lloyd. I only saw Television once – All those amazing riffs that drive the songs – Richard played them all. https://t.co/ZjT7qrySfoNovember 7, 2026
Television’s Instagram also shared a statement on social media following the death of their co-founder.
“We are so very sad that Richard Lloyd has today passed away at the age of 75,” the band wrote. “Deepest condolences to Sheila and to all of his family and friends.”
Lloyd died at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, following a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer. His family confirmed that his wife, Sheila, and their dog, Willie Mays, were with him when he died. He had been diagnosed with the disease in March.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1951, Lloyd moved to New York as a child and became immersed in the city’s emerging underground music scene. In 1973, he joined forces with singer and guitarist Tom Verlaine, bass guitarist Richard Hell and drummer Billy Ficca to form Television.
The group became one of the first bands to establish a regular presence at CBGB, the Manhattan club that would become the epicenter of New York’s burgeoning punk movement. But Television stood apart from many of their contemporaries, favoring intricate arrangements and extended instrumental passages over punk’s more stripped-down approach.
Central to that sound was the guitar interplay between Lloyd and Verlaine. Their contrasting styles gave Television a distinctive musical identity, with interlocking lines, angular riffs and extended solos that pushed the possibilities of a two-guitar rock band.
The partnership reached its peak on Television’s 1977 debut, Marquee Moon. The album’s 10-minute title track remains one of rock’s defining guitar performances, with Lloyd and Verlaine trading and intertwining melodic phrases across an expansive instrumental journey. Songs including “See No Evil,” “Friction” and “Venus” further showcased their remarkable chemistry.
Television released a second album, Adventure, in 1978 before splitting later that year. Their influence, however, continued to grow, helping lay the groundwork for generations of post-punk, alternative and indie rock bands. Marr’s tribute offers a particularly telling example of the reach of their guitar innovations.
Lloyd’s career extended well beyond Television. He went solo with Alchemy in 1979 and went on to release a series of albums, including Field of Fire (1986) and The Countdown (2018). He also became a sought-after collaborator, contributing his distinctive guitar work to several albums by Matthew Sweet, including Girlfriend (1991), Altered Beast (1993) and 100% Fun (1995).
Television reunited in the early 1990s, releasing a self-titled third album in 1992. Lloyd continued performing with the group before departing in 2007 to concentrate on his solo career. He also chronicled his experiences in the New York rock scene in his 2017 memoir, Everything Is Combustible: Television, CBGB’s and Five Decades of Rock and Roll.
Lloyd’s death comes less than four years after Verlaine died in January 2023, aged 73.
