Emerson, Lake & Palmer keyboardist Keith Emerson has passed away at the age of 71. The following announcement was made via the band's Facebook page and official website.

“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.”

TMZ.com claims to have learned that Emerson's death is being investigated as a suicide.

From TMZ: "Law enforcement sources tell us Emerson had a single gunshot wound to the head when his girlfriend found him in their home in Santa Monica. The Emerson, Lake & Palmer co-founder had recently been suffering from a serious medical problem -- a degenerative nerve issue in his right hand ... according to our sources. We're told he could only play the keyboard with 8 fingers at this point and knew it was only going to get worse. As a result, he was struggling with depression."

Stay tuned for updates on this story.

Emerson's bandmate Carl Palmer posted the following via his official website upon news of his death:

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend and brother-in-music, Keith Emerson.

“Keith was a gentle soul whose love for music and passion for his performance as a keyboard player will remain unmatched for many years to come. He was a pioneer and an innovator whose musical genius touched all of us in the worlds of rock, classical and jazz.

“I will always remember his warm smile, good sense of humor, compelling showmanship, and dedication to his musical craft.

“I am very lucky to have known him and to have made the music we did, together. Rest in peace, Keith.”

Last December, North American syndicated rock radio show and website, InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands, visited with prog rock pioneers Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer on the 45th anniversary of their self-titled debut, Emerson, Lake & Palmer.  

Said host Redbeard: “ELP were a true supergroup in progressive rock, elevating the musical genre by taking it out of the science lab and onto FM rock radio, where ultimately millions of listeners would respond in favour. Each member of ELP had a hand in defining the prog rock sound, albeit individually in separate bands, Keith Emerson as a keyboardist, innovator with The Nice; Greg Lake writing and singing on the 1969 King Crimson groundbreaker In The Court of the Crimson King; and Carl Palmer exhibiting power and space-filling percussion in the trio Atomic Rooster.”

Greg Lake shares the story behind the song “Lucky Man” and how it ended up making the cut on ELP’s debut album: “I wrote “Lucky Man” when I was 12 years old... And I never had any use for it... When it  came to the album and we were due to finish the album there and then, it was just a case of ‘Does anybody got any idea?‘ And there was a silence, and I said, Well, I got this. ‘So alright then, give it a go’.”

The program can still be heard at this location.

(Photo - CarlPalmer.com)