Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60 from complications arising from diabetes.The guitarist was the band’s first creative force and an influential songwriter, writing their early hits.

He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album. He went on to live as a recluse, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs.

“He died very peacefully a couple of days ago,” the band’s spokeswoman said.

“There will be a private family funeral.”

A statement from Pink Floyd said: “The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett’s death.

“Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.”

He was born Roger Barrett in Cambridge and met future bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour at school.

He originally busked folk songs around Europe with Gilmour before enrolling at the Camberwell School of Art in London.

Upon joining the Pink Floyd Sound - as they were originally known - he composed See Emily Play and Arnold Layne, both from 1967, as well as most of their album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

‘Mental breakdown’

But his drug intake soon began to affect his role in the band.

He would often be seen standing on stage with his guitar dangling from his neck, staring into the crowd.

At one stage, he was unhappy about appearing on Top of the Pops and walked out of a session recording in July 1967 after “freaking out”.

“That really was the first sign of his complete mental breakdown,” producer Richard Buskin wrote later. “He never did come back into the studio any more after that.”

With Barrett’s behaviour becoming increasingly erratic, Dave Gilmour was brought in to the band in February 1968.

Barrett’s departure was announced that April and he soon started work on the first of his two solo albums.

Reclusive life

The band’s biggest-selling releases, Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, emerged in the post-Barrett era, with the band selling an estimated 200 million albums worldwide. Just as Pink Floyd were about to achieve worldwide success, Barrett retreated from public life to return to Cambridge.

Little was known about his whereabouts for 20 years until it became known he was living with his mother.

Band members said his breakdown may have happened even if he had not used drugs - but the pressure of fame along with the substances probably acted as a catalyst.

‘Influence continues’

Barrett’s biographer Tim Willis paid tribute to the guitarist’s legacy, saying: “I don’t think we would have the David Bowie we have today if it wasn’t for Syd.

“Arnold Layne is still one of Bowie’s favourites. He sang it the other day, I believe. And in fact Bowie was very much a kind of clone of Syd in the early years,” he told BBC Radio Five Live.

“His influence is still going. New bands discover him all the time, there’s always a Syd revival going on.

“If it wasn’t the punks, it was REM, and I’m sure that Arnold Layne and Emily Play as pop songs will live forever.”