John Douglas "Jon" Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English composer, pianist, and
Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or
baroque forms, especially with
Deep Purple, as well as
Whitesnake,
Paice Ashton Lord,
The Artwoods, and
The Flower Pot Men. In 1968 Lord co-founded Deep Purple, a
hard rock band of which he was regarded as the leader until 1970. Together with the other members, he collaborated on most of his band's most popular songs. He and drummer
Ian Paice were the only continuous presence in the band during the period from 1968 to 1976, and also from when it was reestablished in 1984 until Lord's retirement from Deep Purple in 2002. On 11 November 2010, he was inducted as an
Honorary Fellow of
Stevenson College in Edinburgh, Scotland. On 15 July 2011, he was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Music degree at
De Montfort Hall by the
University of Leicester.