Who was Richard Lloyd? Television guitarist dies at 75 after battle with cancer

Richard Lloyd, the guitarist known for the American rock band Television, has passed away at the age of 75. He died on November 7 at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, following a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer.

The news was confirmed by his family in a statement to Rolling Stone. "His loving wife Sheila and his dog Willie Mays were with him at the end,” the statement read.

Richard Lloyd's battle with cancer

Lloyd was diagnosed with the disease in March 2026. His health condition had previously been revealed through a fundraising campaign launched by his friend and bandmate Sean Seymour in August to help meet his medical expenses.

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Details shared through the GoFundMe campaign revealed that Lloyd had developed multiple tumours in his liver. One of them was located dangerously close to a major blood vessel, making it impossible for doctors to remove it through surgery.

The illness also affected his ability to perform and tour, which had been an important part of his livelihood.

The campaign added that Lloyd's wife, Sheila O'Keefe, took responsibility for caring for him while he was ill.

Who was Richard Lloyd?

Richard John Alt was born on October 25, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Greenwich Village and his interest in music began at an early age.

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Although he initially explored playing the drums, he eventually turned his attention to the guitar. He studied at Stuyvesant High School but left shortly before graduating to pursue music.

Lloyd co-founded Television in 1973 alongside Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell and Billy Ficca. The group was closely associated with New York’s then-emerging punk scene and played CBGB, the Manhattan club that launched several influential rock acts, on a regular basis.

Lloyd’s guitar playing, especially his interplay with Verlaine, was to become one of the defining elements of the band’s music.

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Their first album, Marquee Moon, came out in 1977 and is one of the definitive records of the punk era.

Television released their second album, Adventure, in 1978. However, the group split later that year following internal differences.

The band eventually reunited in the early 1990s and released a self-titled album in 1992. Lloyd continued performing with Television during subsequent reunion appearances but left the group in 2007.

Verlaine died in January 2023.

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Richard Lloyd's career beyond Television

Following Television's initial breakup, Lloyd pursued a solo career, releasing his debut album, Alchemy, in 1979. He went on to release several more records over the years, including Field of Fire in 1986 and Real Time in 1987.

Apart from his solo work, he also contributed as a guitarist to projects by other musicians. One of his notable collaborations was with Matthew Sweet, playing on albums including Girlfriend (1991), Altered Beast (1993) and 100% Fun (1995).

His final solo album, The Countdown, was released in 2018.

Lloyd is survived by his wife, Sheila O’Keefe Lloyd, and their son, Eric Lloyd.