Syd Barrett was a member of a band.
Syd Barrett . Barrett was excluded from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist , and was briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness . With Pink Floyd , he recorded four singles , their debut album ( and contributed to the second one ) , and several unreleased songs . Pink Floyd wrote and recorded several tributes to him , most notably the 1975 album Wish You Were Here , which included `` Shine On You Crazy Diamond '' , as homage to Barrett . Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album) . Barrett 's mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group seven years earlier after the release of the group 's debut studio album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn .