Psychedelic Rocker Roky Erickson Dies at 71

Psychedelic Rocker Roky Erickson Dies at 71
Roky Erickson performs at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
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NEW YORK—Roky Erickson, the blue-eyed, dark-haired Texan who headed the Austin-based 13th Floor Elevators, a psychedelic rock band in the 1960s, has died. He was 71.

Erickson’s twisted lead guitar and wailing vocals didn’t turn him into a chart-topper.