Deep Purple founder Jon Lord dies aged 71

The Leicester-born keyboard player, who had been receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer since last August, died in London yesterday.

A statement on his website said he had passed “from darkness to light”.

It added that Lord, who died from a pulmonary embolism in the London Clinic, was “surrounded by his loving family” when he died.

Last year, Lord told fans he was “fighting cancer and will therefore be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure”.

In a message on his website dated 9 August, 2011, he added: “I shall, of course, be continuing to write music – in my world it just has to be part of the therapy – and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year.”

Last night, friend and fellow keyboard player Rick Wakeman paid tribute to Lord

“His contribution to music and to classic rock was immeasurable and I will miss him terribly,” said Wakeman, former keyboard player with Yes

Earlier this month, Lord cancelled a performance of his Durham Concerto in Germany. At the time, his website assured fans that it was “not a matter

for concern, but it is a continuation of his regular treatment that has just taken longer than anticipated.”

Lord started playing the piano in his family home and took classical music lessons from a very early age.

He moved to London at 19 to go to drama school, but soon turned to jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, playing piano in pubs and bars, and in 1964 joined cult blues band the Artwoods – formed by Ronnie Wood’s brother, Art. The band were critical favourites but never translated that into commercial success and split up.

Lord then went on tour with manufactured psychedelic pop combo the Flowerpot Men, who had scored a hit with Let’s Go To San Francisco, before founding Deep Purple in 1968.

The band, regarded as the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, went on to become one of the most famous rock bands in the world. The heavy rockers sold more than 100 million albums – many featuring Lord’s classically inspired keyboards.

But their most famous song was the simple Smoke On The Water with its trademark riff.

Lord was also credited with the legendary organ riff on Child In Time.

In November 2010, Lord was made an honorary fellow of Stevenson College, Edinburgh. Last July, he was granted an honorary doctor of music degree by his home town’s University of Leicester

Last night NME, the music magazine, said Lord was perhaps best known for his Orchestral work Concerto for Group and Orchestra, first performed at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 and conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold.