Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, Palmer is dead!

Keith Emerson, the keyboardist and one of the founding members of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, has died. He was 71.

Emerson died of a gunshot wound to the head in his Santa Monica home on Thursday night and his death is being investigated as a suicide.

According to TMZ, he was reportedly struggling with depression as he was suffering from a degenerative nerve issue in his right hand, which had been taking a toll on his piano playing skills.

''We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, aged 71. We ask that the family’s privacy and grief be respected,'' a rep for Emerso‘s band wrote