Rockers We’ve Lost In 2012: Jon Lord Of Deep Purple

Jon Lord, keyboardist and founding member of Deep Purple died Monday, July 16 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. According to his website, the 71-year-old suffered a pulmonary embolism. He was surrounded by family at the London Clinic at the time of his death.

Lord made the rounds in the London music scene playing with R&B group the Artwoods in the mid '60s before founding Deep Purple in 1968. He remained with the band until their split in 1976. In 1984, the group reformed with Lord, going on to record six more studio albums before he retired from the band in 2002.