Richard Wright, the innovative keyboardist of legendary UK rock band Pink Floyd, passed away on Monday, Sept. 15, at his home in Britain after a short battle with cancer, a spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press.

He was only 65. While not as prominent as fellow band members Syd Barrett (1946 - 2006), Roger Waters and David Gilmour, Wright is credited with having contributed significantly to the band’s sound, making it unique through his keyboard and piano playing style.

He wrote music for now-classic albums such as 1971’s “Meddle,” 1973’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” 1975’s “Wish You Were Here” and Pink Floyd’s final studio album, “The Division Bell” (1994).

Richard Wright, born July 28, 1943, in Hatch End, in northwest London, was passionate about piano from an early age and received an education at the Haberdashers’ Aske’s School and the Regent Street Polytechnic College of Architecture.

It was in the latter institution that he met Roger Waters and Nick Mason and they started playing together, under names such as Sigma 6, The Abdabs and The Screaming Abdabs. They soon met Syd Barrett and the band became forever known as Pink Floyd.

The group released its debut album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” in 1967, to generally positive reviews and continued on a road of glory, despite such setbacks as the sad decline of Syd Barrett, whose drug abuse led to mental illness.

Wright quit Pink Floyd in 1980, as tension bubbled up in the band, and focused on a solo career. He released “Wet Dreams” in 1978 and “Broken China” in 1996. He also did return to his band, releasing “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” in 1987 and “The Division Bell” in 1994, both without Waters (he left the band in 1985).

Wright, Gilmour, Mason and Waters were reunited in 2005 for a short concert at the Live 8 show in London. This was the first time they had played together since the early 1980s, when they promoted “The Wall” with live concerts.

Spokesman Doug Wright, not related to the musician, said Wright died at his home after a struggle with cancer, without offering details regarding the illness. He also said the keyboardist’s family is asking for privacy at this difficult time.

Richard Wright was married three times. He is survived by wife Millie and their son Ben and by son Jamie and daughter Gala, from his first marriage to Juliette Gale, reports The Guardian. He divorced his second wife Franka in 1994.

David Gilmour, on whose solo projects Wright worked, including the 2006 album “On an Island,” paid tribute to his former band mate on Monday, describing him as “gentle, unassuming and private” but a musician whose “soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognized Pink Floyd sound.”