Syd Barrett, founder member and guiding force behind the early Pink Floyd died on Friday, at the age of 60.

Syd was an early acid casualty. He left Pink Floyd in 1968, but his propensity for consuming industrial quantities of LSD had already caused him, effectively, to leave the planet. They replaced him with David Gilmour of course, and went on to record a number of brilliant, classic albums in the 1970s.

The following words were written for Syd by Roger Waters, who inherited the driving seat from him when he left the band, in 1975. The band split to all intents and purposes in 1984, but effected a reunion of sorts a few years later, without either Syd or Roger, for the sole purpose of milking punters' wallets. I imagine Syd must have been rather sad to see his fabulous band degenerate into a corporate rock monster in the 1980s..

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun

Shine on you crazy diamond

Now theres a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky

Shine on you crazy diamond

You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze

Come on you target for faraway laughter

Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine

Admittedly, he probably shouldn't have reserved the most unfortunate behaviour of his career for the match which was to be his very last competitive game, and a World Cup final at that - but he must surely have been sorely provoked.

I'll remember Zinedine Zidane as the finest player of his generation; surely one of the most graceful, breathtakingly brilliant exponents of the Beautiful Game ever to strap on a pair of boots. If I remember Materazzi at all, it will only be as the idiot who provoked him.