Richard Lloyd, founding guitarist of punk band Television, dies aged 75

Richard Lloyd, a founding member and guitarist of the American punk band Television, has died aged 75. His family said he died on Saturday morning at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States. In a statement to Rolling Stone, they said his wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end.

According to the family, the cause of death was cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer, which was diagnosed in March 2026. A crowdfunding campaign had disclosed that tumours had developed in Lloyd's liver and that one of them could not be removed surgically.

The band and its place in punk

Television formed in 1973 and was part of the emerging punk rock scene centred on CBGB, the celebrated New York City music club on the Bowery. It was among the first punk acts to play there; the venue had earlier focused mainly on country and bluegrass.

In a 2007 interview, Lloyd said CBGB was the most famous rock 'n' roll club ever and stressed his own part in its history.

Legacy

Television made only two studio albums during its late-1970s peak. The first, Marquee Moon, came out in 1977 and has since been widely recognised as a landmark record. Rolling Stone placed it at No 107 on its 2023 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and it is still regarded as one of the most influential guitar-driven albums in rock history.

Reviewing a 2005 show, the Guardian noted Lloyd's crisp, crunchy chords, dextrous fills and rapid Van Halen-style solos.