ELO Keyboardist Richard Tandy, Dead at 76

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Richard Tandy, the keyboardist of Electric Light Orchestra, has died. He was 76. Tandy’s bandmate Jeff Lynne broke the quality connected Twitter, penning “It is with large sadness that I stock the quality of the passing of my long-time collaborator and beloved person Richard Tandy. He was a singular instrumentalist & person and I’ll cherish the beingness of memories we had together.” Tandy met Electric Light Orchestra subordinate Bev Bevan astatine school. He archetypal joined ELO arsenic a bassist, but transitioned to keys and figured heavy successful their emerging prog stone sound. According to the Guardian, Tandy played “Minimoog synthesiser, a Wurlitzer electrical piano, the Clavinet, Mellotron and piano.” On “Mr. Blue Sky,” possibly the band’s biggest hit, Tandy provided piano, synth, and the song’s iconic vocoder. The opus has been covered by The Electric Mayhem, Weezer, and Nerf Herder (the set that did the Buffy: the Vampire Slayer theme song). It has featured connected the soundtracks of galore films — including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop — and was the archetypal prime for The Office (U.S.)’s taxable song. Tandy was inducted with the Electric Light Orchestra into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame successful 2017. ELO inactive holds the Billboard grounds for astir Hot 100 songs without a No. 1 hit.