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Mike Ratledge, Soft Machine Keyboardist and Co-Founder, Dead at 81
Mike Ratledge, the founding keyboardist of influential prog rock band Soft Machine has died at the age of 81, guitarist John Etheridge confirmed.
“Incredibly sad news that my great friend and Soft Machine legend passed away two hours ago after a brief illness,” Etheridge wrote on Facebook. After earning a degree in psychology, he co-founded the group in 1966 alongside Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Outside of Soft Machine, Ratledge also contributed to Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs and former band mate Kevin Ayers’ Joy of a Toy.
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