Jon Lord Dead At 71; Musicans Remember "The Lord of the Keys"

Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at age 71.  Jon Lord died on Monday, July 16, in a U.K. hospital. He suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism at the London Clinic after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Read more on BBC.

A message at his web site states:

"It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jon Lord, who suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism today, Monday, July 16th at the London Clinic, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jon was surrounded by his loving family. 


Musicans remember "The Lord of the Keys":

"Our beloved Jon passed away on this day Monday 16th July 2012.


We have lost a dear friend, a brother and a wonderful musician.
His dignity and graciousness touched us all. His music was an inspiration and took us to places beyond our imagination…


A truly great man.


We humbly express our eternal love and great respect."
- Deep Purple

"It was an absolute joy and pleasure for me to know him and to work alongside him. He is missed already."
- David Coverdale


"I am deeply saddened about the passing of Jon Lord. I am proud and humbled to have known him both personally and professionally, and blessed to share a special time with him. He was a true and gifted original, a gentleman of the industry, and he shall be greatly missed! My sincerest sympathies to his family and relatives and to all of us who have lost one of the great musicians of our time! R.I.P., Jon... May God hold you in his hands."
- Joe Lynn Turner


"[It's a] sad day in rock and roll; Jon Lord has passed on. One of the biggest, baddest, heaviest sounds in heavy metal. One if a kind."
- Slash


"[I was] very sad to hear of Jon's death, following his battle with the demon cancer. [He was] one of the great musicians of my generation. Tony Iommi recently worked with Jon, and said what a lovely bloke he was. I met him a few times, but never got to work with him. Blessings."  
- Geezer Butler


"It is with great shock and deep sadness that I was informed of the loss of a dear friend and great musician, Jon Lord. You brought fun, laughter, silliness and light with your sense of humor to everything you worked on, you changed the world of rock with your unique take on it all. I send my love, thoughts, and deepest sympathy to his family. God bless you, Jon. [You will be] forever in our hearts." 
 - Graham Bonnet


"RIP the great Jon Lord, Deep Purple's cornerstone/keyboardist. So many great, great songs and that incredible SOUND of his! Thank you." 
 - Tom Morello


"Wow, I can't believe Jon Lord passed away today. His style of playing the organ set the standard by which every rock band with organ lived by. A real legend and a real star. RIP, Jon!" 
- Tracii Guns


"Love and respect to the legendary Jon Lord. Condolences to his family. His mark in contemporary music is long and permanent. R.I.P." 
 - Damon Johnson (Thin Lizzy)


"I am extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Jon Lord today. [He was] one of the nicest and most talented people I've ever met. Rest in peace." 
 - Joe Bonamassa


"Very sad news about the great Jon Lord. [He was] one of my biggest influences and idols growing up. RIP." 
 - Adam Wakeman


"My condolences to Jon Lord's family, fans and friends on his passing. Jon, thank you for being a part of the soundtrack of my life." 
 - Rudy Sarzo


"I'm very sad to hear about the passing of Jon Lord. He was an inspiration to me!" 
 - Jordan Rudess

"Just like Ronnie [James Dio] was the master on vocals, Jon Lord was the king on the Hammond organ... R.I.P., Jon Lord. I grew up on Deep Purple. He was truly the best... [It's a] very sad day for rock." 
 - Peter Baltes

 “I just found out that Jon Lord from Deep Purple passed away. What an amazing musician and a true gentleman. We lost a great one … RIP.” 
 - Dee Snider


“Very sad to hear that Jon Lord has passed away.” 
 - Iron Maiden

"My heartfelt RIP to Jon Lord.. A massive influence of all musicians of my generation and beyond..." 
- Steve Lukather

"Very sad to hear of the passing of Jon Lord, who I had the great pleasure of working with from 1978-82 in Whitesnake. Wonderful musician and a nicer person would be hard to find. R.I.P." 
- Neil Murray

"R.I.P. Jon Lord, maestro of keyboards, probably the most influential keyboardplayer in rock."

- Adrian Vandenberg

"RIP Jon Lord!!! A truly sad loss, a great influence to me and probably the best rock organist ever. Remembered for ever :( The Lord of the Hammond, I salute you RIP"

- Mark Stanway (Magnum)

"RIP Jon Lord, a real gentleman and a great musician."

- Bernie Torme

"I was truly shocked to hear that Jon Lord 71, had passed away. Jon was one of the all time great, rock keyboard players, and composers, and he had the most amazing Hammond Organ sound ever.
I have known Jon for many years dating back to the late 60's, and he was always the perfect gentleman, and great company.
The musical world has lost a giant, and his contribution to rock music will live on forever.

When people have asked me who was my favourite keyboard player, his name was always first on my lips."

- Mick Box, Uriah Heep

From the obituary in The Guardian:


"Lord discovered his trademark sound when he formed Santa Barbara Machine Head, which also featured Wood's brother and future Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood. The key to this group's success was its powerful, organ- and guitar-driven formula, which pointed at the future musical recipe of Deep Purple, and also the meeting of Lord and the bassist Nick Simper. The duo were the backbone of Deep Purple, who formed when the businessman and manager Tony Edwards invested in the new group and auditioned the cream of London's young talent – the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the singer Rod Evans and the drummer Ian Paice among them. This quintet formed Purple's first lineup in 1968."