r/lastimages Aug 03 '25

CELEBRITY Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd is seen in his Final Public Appearances in 2001. He would pass away 5 Years later in 2006

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2.4k Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

652

u/LastButterfly2937 Aug 03 '25

I don't remember from which documentary, but it was David Gilmour saying that one day Syd came into the studio and at first they (Nick Mason, Richard Wright, Roger Waters and him) did not recognize him at first and thought it was a member of staff or engineer because Syd had lost a lot of weight, bald with shaved eyebrows.

125

u/HeyCarpy Aug 03 '25

Wasn’t it during the recording sessions for Wish You Were Here? Shine On You Crazy Diamond is about Syd, I feel like his appearance in the studio was a cosmic coincidence during those sessions. Too lazy to look it up, of course

125

u/HookerDoctorLawyer Aug 03 '25

Which one is Pink?

Great doc. But yeah, super sad when they realized who it was.

67

u/coffeebuzzbuzzz Aug 03 '25

He gained a lot of weight at the time. He visited them while they were recording,"Shine on You Crazy Diamond", and said it sounded a bit odd.

693

u/pabloescobar9000 Aug 03 '25

Was he locked in house or something? Going about 5 years without being seen sounds crazy

516

u/STEELCITY1989 Aug 03 '25

Severe mental issues. Became a recluse. Showed up one day to a Pink Floyd studio session and the band members didnt recognize him at first. Wild story

141

u/Super_Interview_2189 Aug 03 '25

Was he the basis for their movie the Wall? There was a lot of weird stuff going on in the movie but after reading about how Syd also shaved his head and eyebrows it made me wonder.

93

u/Roblox_master132 Aug 03 '25

Yeah, Syd and Roger's personal experiences

57

u/Kungfubobby Aug 03 '25

Shine on you crazy diamond. Not the wall.

49

u/Super_Interview_2189 Aug 03 '25

I’m talking about the movie, not the song.

34

u/MysteriousFreedom455 Aug 03 '25

The whole Wish You Were Here album

123

u/tucakeane Aug 03 '25

He was reclusive and diabetic. His sister lived nearby and was his main connection to the outside world. He just wanted to be left alone, and after photos were taken of him here and riding his bike around Cambridge- without his permission- he must’ve doubled down. Apparently “please leave me alone” isn’t clear enough to some.

384

u/capable_duck Aug 03 '25

He suffered from severe mental illness from excessive use of psychedelics, so I wouldn't be surprised if he locked himself away for long periods.

172

u/Due_Reality5903 Aug 03 '25

"Stuck to the ceiling" as my father would say.

51

u/Seabrook76 Aug 03 '25

Such a great term.

99

u/CMRD Aug 03 '25 edited Aug 06 '25

He had mental health issues and used psychedelics. Psychedelics didn’t cause his mental illness, but they did make it worse.

61

u/capable_duck Aug 03 '25

Yes. I believe that there is a time and place for psychedelics. But taking huge amounts basically daily while already struggling with preexisting mental health issues is definitely going to end up badly.

1

u/SecretSatyriasis Aug 08 '25

His old roommates spiked his coffee with LSD everyday for a really long time without him knowing, locked him inside of a closet for days because he was having a bad trip, while they thought he was jesus or whatever. Really sad story

-57

u/lil-strop Aug 03 '25

Please don't spread disinformation about psychedelics. Get educated instead.

10

u/SilentSiege Aug 04 '25

Uh, whatever..... Doctor Von Tripp.

63

u/GBGF128 Aug 03 '25

Also known as privacy outside of the public eye

5

u/spacedemence Aug 05 '25

He died of cancer. He was probably sick already.

124

u/DeliciousMinute1966 Aug 03 '25

I feel for anyone having to deal with this crippling type of mental illness. It’s not pretty.

May he RIP.

80

u/JetPlane_88 Aug 04 '25

Photos like this make me uncomfortable. Not a dig at you, OP, it’s totally appropriate for the sub. My beef is with the photographer.

Syd was battling severe mental health challenges towards the end and, regardless, snapping photos of people coming out to get the paper living their private lives irks me.

If he’s performing, recording, at work in some capacity then that’s fair game. But the man deserves some dignity in and around his home.

69

u/Haunting_Display2454 Aug 03 '25

Shine on you crazy diamond

25

u/cosmic-mermaid Aug 03 '25

Really got into The Madcap Laughs when I was in my teens and absolutely fell in love with Syd Barrett. Wish he made more solo stuff, he was so innovative! Shine on you crazy diamond, indeed. 🕯️

23

u/MethodInternal489 Aug 03 '25

Wish You Were Here

11

u/Spiralout1974 Aug 03 '25

Remember when you were young

5

u/ilikedirt Aug 05 '25

You shone like the sun

11

u/dark_54 Aug 03 '25

This photo makes me so sad. Lifelong hero of mine. Tragic

10

u/jshif Aug 03 '25

Artists fascinate me, especially those that must have some genius-like qualities.

6

u/Mundane-Mention-4813 Aug 03 '25

R.I.P🙏🕊️

8

u/WallabyGlittering634 Aug 03 '25

cause of death?

13

u/dark_54 Aug 03 '25

Pancreatic cancer

2

u/UrbanStray Aug 07 '25

This wouldn't be his last image, there was another candid photo of his walk from the shops some weeks before Live 8 and a year before his death.

-9

u/Vacman85 Aug 03 '25

Don’t do drugs kids….

28

u/SplitRock130 Aug 03 '25

And yet psychedelics are now used to treat severe PTSD in veterans 🤷🏻‍♂️

21

u/shot_the_chocolate Aug 03 '25

Used not abused 

17

u/benevolentdespots Aug 03 '25

Also, THC can help immensely with Depression, Parkinson's, sleep, and a plethora of other afflictions/ailments.

Lobbyists & Smear campaigns have greatly impacted our knowledge and understanding of the benefits of "drugs."

People are incredibly narrow-minded and will tell you alcohol is the much better avenue...

24

u/coffeebuzzbuzzz Aug 03 '25

You have to be careful. I have ADHD, autism, and bipolar. THC makes me very paranoid. It's the opposite of a pleasant experience for me.

-7

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '25

[deleted]

11

u/coffeebuzzbuzzz Aug 03 '25

Just saying it should be used in caution if you have any type of mental disorder.

-2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '25

[deleted]

0

u/saustus Aug 04 '25

I was able to get off antidepressants & benzos (10+ years) when I found a steady weed source. The antidepressants were having really negative physical effects on my body & it's well known how bad long-term benzo use is.

-8

u/hippiejo Aug 03 '25

Drugs aren’t the problem it’s society. Marijuana, coca leaves, and opium from poppy’s have been used for centuries in their respective cultures without widespread addiction and the major negative effects a society. It was only when the British introduced opium to the Chinese which lead to the country becoming completely addicted to the substance. 2 Opium Wars were fought over this. The British empire was upset that China was enjoying a trade surplus at the time, China very rarely imported goods at the time from other nations.

-8

u/Newdy41 Aug 04 '25

Im glad you told us that 5 years after the year 2001 is, in fact, 2006.