July 16 - Jon Lord

Jon Lord, the legendary composer, pianist and organ player from the iconic band Deep Purple, passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71. Quoting former Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore at the time of Lord's death, "Jon was not only a great musician, he was my favorite dinner companion. We are all deeply saddened. We knew he was sick but the word was that he was recovering and doing much better. This news came as a complete shock. Without Jon there would be no Deep Purple. He lives on in our hearts and memories."