Syd Barrett’s post-Floyd relationships: rare visits, quiet support, and a funeral with few words

After Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd in 1968, he retreated to Cambridge and essentially vanished from the music world. He lived with his mother, then alone, painting and gardening; he rarely spoke about his past. The band members—Waters, Gilmour, Mason, Wright—stayed in loose contact, mostly through occasional visits from Gilmour and Waters. Gilmour helped produce Barrett’s solo albums in the late ‘60s and, years later, quietly sent him royalty checks. Waters once said he visited Syd and found him “perfectly happy” tending to his garden.

When Barrett died in 2006, the band released a brief statement calling him their “starting point.” Gilmour admitted he felt “relief” that Syd was no longer suffering, while Waters said he was “very sad” and reflected on the “terribly sad story” of mental decline. They attended the funeral together—Gilmour, Mason, and Waters (Wright was too ill)—but kept the service private and small. No speeches, no eulogies. Just a quiet goodbye to the man who had lit the fuse.