Piano player, singer and songwriter Ritchie Pickett died peacefully last night in his Cambridge home. He was aged 56.

Ritchie regarded as one of New Zealand's finest country singers and songwriters, as well as one of the country's most dynamic performers. He first came to national prominence in the late seventies on TV programme "That's Country".

Ritchie Pickett.

Ritchie lived in Tauranga for many years, finally relocating in the Waikato in the early 1990s. In recent years he had been in poor health.

During his time in Tauranga Ritchie was a good friend and mentor to many of the Bay's musicians and the list of Tauranga players who shared the stage with him through the years is extensive.

In the early 1980s, he formed country music band Ritchie Pickett & the Inlaws which toured New Zealand relentlessly and released an acclaimed LP, but disbanded in 1985. He was also a regular performer on the high-rating primetime television show That's Country.
Ritchie fronted several Waikato bands through the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the Jones Boys, the Fat Band, Stingray Martini's Excellent Duckbeast (featuring Tim Armstrong) and the Disturbance, before working mainly under his own name.
Pickett released his debut solo album in 1998.

You can read more about Ritchie in Winston Watusi's column in this Friday's Weekend Sun.