British rocker Jon Lord, former keyboardist for the band Deep Purple, has died. He was 71 years old.
A statement on Lord's official website says the Leicester, England-born musician suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism in London on Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Lord co-wrote some of Deep Purple's most famous tunes, including "Smoke on the Water," and later had a successful solo career following his retirement from the band in 2002.
The statement posted on Lord's website said he died "surrounded by his loving family."
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