Jeff Lynne revealed in a May 1 social media post that his ELO bandmate Richard Tandy had passed away at the age of 76.
“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy,” Lynne shared. “He was a remarkable musician & friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.”
Tandy played keyboards in ELO, which was formed in 1970 by Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan. Tandy joined in 1971, and remained with the group until their first breakup in 1986, reuniting with them in 2000 and again in 2014.
Tandy appeared on all of ELO’s records since 1973’s ELO 2, and provided the infamous vocoder vocals on their classic hit “Mr. Blue Sky.” He also collaborated with Lynne on other projects, including Lynne’s 1990 solo album Armchair Theatre and the soundtrack to the 1984 movie Electric Dreams.
Tandy was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 as a member of ELO.
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