Soft Machine founding member and keyboard player Mike Ratledge died on Wednesday, February 5 after a brief illness, according to his former bandmate and guitarist John Etheridge. “Mike was the backbone of Soft Machine in the early years and a man with an absolutely incisive mind – a marvellous composer and keyboardist,

Mike Ratledge, one of the founding members and keyboard player of the British psych-rock band Soft Machine, has died aged 81 after a short illness.

Soft Machine's longest-serving member Mike Ratledge, who also worked with Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers, has died after a short illness

Mike was the backbone of Soft Machine in the early years and a man with an absolutely incisive mind,” wrote Soft Machine's John Etheridge.