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 — co-founding keyboardist for the influential, proggy psych-rock band from Canterbury, Soft Machine — has died. He was 81.

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.

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.