by André Depienne

Richard John Parfitt discovered his musical talent at an early stage. He learned to play the piano and the guitar and took every opportunity to perform. After winning a few talent shows, he met the twins Gloria and Jean Harrison and with them he founded the band The Highlights. While touring with the band in 1965, Parfitt got to know and became friends with Francis Rossi and two years later joined his band Traffic Jam. They changed its name to The Status Quo, later simply to Status Quo. The other legendary members of the band were then drummer John Coghlan and bassist Alan Lancaster.

They had their first Top Ten hit with the psychedelic style song Pictures Of Matchstick Men in 1968. But after releasing their debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo, things quieted down for Status Quo.

They took the time to develop the legendary Status Quo sound which is often referred to as Boogie-Woogie-Blues-Rock. It can first be heard on their 1971 album Dog Of Two Head. The band's ultimate breakthrough came in autumn 1973 with the release of their 6th album Hello! and its two hit singles Caroline and Roll Over Lay Down. It was followed by equally successful albums like Quo, On The Level, Blue For You, Rockin‘ All Over The World and Whatever You Want.

But when his 4 year old daughter Heidi drowned in his pool in 1980, Rick Parfitt lost control of his life. His marriage failed and alcohol and drug problems shaped the following years. At the end of the 1990s he had serious health issues. He had four bypass surgeries and underwent several other treatments for his heart problems. In 2016, Parfitt fell in his Marbella home, Spain, hurting his shoulder. Due to complications during the surgery, he was hospitalized again shortly after. On December 24th, he died from the consequences of an infection at the age of 68.