Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 ? 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, and artist. He is most remembered as a founding member of Pink Floyd. He was active as a rock musician for about seven years, before going into a self-imposed seclusion that lasted over thirty years and ended with his death in 2006.
Early years
Barrett was born at 60 Glisson Road in the English city of Cambridge to a middle-class family. His father, Arthur Max Barrett, was a prominent pathologist, and both he and his wife, Winifred, encouraged the young Roger (as he was known then) in his music. At the age of three, he moved to 183 Hills Road. After his brothers and sisters left home, his mother rented out rooms to lodgers, including the future Prime Minister of Japan. Barrett acquired the nickname "Syd" at the age of 14, a reference to an old local Cambridge drummer, Sid Barrett. Syd Barrett changed the spelling in order to differentiate himself from his namesake.Mason, Nick. Insid
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd Barrett