On Friday, March 11th, Keith Emerson was found dead in his apartment in Los Angeles, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was the founder and keyboardist of the legendary progressive rock trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer, who were among the pioneers of the genre alongside King Crimson, Yes and Pink Floyd to some extent. They formed in London in 1970 and split in 1979, before re-forming in 1991, and left an unprecedented mark on contemporary music. Before ELP, Emerson was a member of another legendary band, The Nice, which formed in 1967 but disbanded three years later. In later life, he pursued a solo career and remained active in the music business. He was forced to cancel a tour in 2010 due to illness but scheduled a tour of Japan the next month. His last concert took place in July 2015 at the Barbican in London, where he performed alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra in a tribute to Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.
He was among the greatest keyboard players in the 70’s along with Rick Wakeman, Richard Wright and Jon Lord. “AllMusic” described Emerson as "perhaps the greatest, most technically accomplished keyboardist in rock history". Emerson was fascinated by Jimi Hendrix and his stage theatrics, which he tried to implement behind the keyboards. He became famous for his showmanship and energetic on-stage performance style. In an interview for “Counterculture” magazine, he said: "That part of the act was something that just felt natural to do; something that allowed me to be more expressive."
About his former ELP bandmate, Carl Palmer said, "I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and brother-in-music, Keith Emerson. Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come." On March 12, another former ELP bandmate, bassist/guitarist/singer Greg Lake released a statement which said: ″To all ELP friends and fans all over the world, I would like to express my deep sadness upon hearing this tragic news. As you know, Keith and I spent many of the best years of our lives together and to witness his life coming to an end in the way that it has is painful, both to myself and to all who knew him. As sad and tragic as Keith’s death is, I would not want this to be the lasting memory people take away with them. What I will always remember about Keith Emerson was his remarkable talent as a musician and composer and his gift and passion to entertain. Music was his life and despite some of the difficulties he encountered, I am sure that the music he created will live on forever.”
Keith Emerson’s body was found by his girlfriend Mari Kawaguchi in the apartment they shared in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. She made a statement saying that the rock legend killed himself because nerve damage had left him unable to perform perfectly, and he agonised about the thought of disappointing his fans. She also added that Emerson had been hurt by comments online mocking his playing, and was "tormented with worry" about an upcoming tour in Japan. "He didn't want to let down his fans. He was a perfectionist and the thought he wouldn't play perfectly made him depressed, nervous and anxious," she explains, “'His right hand and arm had given him problems for years… He had concerts coming up in Japan and even though they hired a back-up keyboard player to support him, Keith was worried. He read all the criticism online and was a sensitive soul. He didn't want to let down his fans."
Keith Emerson’s played the keyboards on a level of virtuoso musicianship. He would get inside his piano, hitting and plucking strings with his hands. He wedged down keys with knives. He was the first musician to tour with a Moog synthesiser, in an age when they were giant banks of electronic circuit boards, the connections had to be patched in by hand, and wonky oscillators were forever heating up and going out of tune. From all of this, Emerson conjured up sounds that had never been heard before. “He was just natural. The music was always in his head, always,” Mari Kawaguchi remembers, “Even when he was sleeping, you know, I could tell he was always thinking about music. Sometimes he would wake up and compose music. And it was all so, so beautiful.”
