Bob Klose: The Pink Floyd Founder Who Chose Architecture Over Stardom

Before Syd Barrett was the face of Pink Floyd, a quiet architecture student named Bob Klose was their lead guitarist. He helped form the band in 1965 alongside Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, and even played on their earliest demos. But Klose had no interest in the rock star life—he was serious about his degree and felt the band’s drift into psychedelic weirdness wasn’t his thing.

Klose left in late 1965, just before the band entered the studio to record their first single. His departure opened the door for Barrett to fully take over lead guitar and vocals, which pushed Pink Floyd into the sound that made them famous. Klose never looked back; he became a photographer and only occasionally appears in Pink Floyd lore, like the outtakes from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn where you can barely hear him noodling in the background.