Richard Lloyd Television guitarist — Richard Lloyd, the founding guitarist whose sophisticated playing shaped the sound of the punk band Television, died Saturday morning at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 75. His family confirmed the death, stating that his wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were by his side. The cause was cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts, which he had been diagnosed with in March 2026.
Lloyd’s passing closes a chapter in the story of a band that became central to the mid-1970s punk scene that coalesced around CBGB, the Bowery club in New York City. Television formed in 1973 and was among the first punk acts to take the stage at the venue, which had previously been known for country and bluegrass bookings.
A formative presence at CBGB
Lloyd never downplayed his role in the club’s evolution. In a 2007 interview, he asserted that CBGB was the most famous rock ’n’ roll club ever to exist and claimed credit for creating it, describing himself as the invisible force behind it. The remark captured the confidence he brought to his place in the downtown music scene.
Television’s recorded output during its late-1970s peak was slim: just two studio albums. The first, Marquee Moon, arrived in 1977 and has since been widely hailed as a landmark. Rolling Stone placed it at No 107 on its 2023 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and it remains one of the most influential guitar-driven records in rock history.
Guitar style that stood out
Lloyd’s playing was often noted for its range and attack. A 2005 Guardian review observed that his guitar came through louder in a lopsided mix, making it impossible to ignore how much ground he covered, with crisp chords, agile fills and torrential solos pouring from his fingers. That description hints at the blend of precision and energy that distinguished his work alongside bandmate Tom Verlaine.
In the years after Television, Lloyd remained a recognizable figure to admirers of the band’s intricate, twin-guitar attack. His family’s statement and the earlier crowdfunding campaign, which disclosed tumors in his liver including one that could not be removed surgically, traced the illness that ultimately took his life.
He is survived by his wife, Sheila. The family’s confirmation of his death at home in Chattanooga, with his dog present, offered a quiet final note for a musician whose early performances helped define a movement.
