“Professional pianists are the only ones who say, ‘I understand why he wanted to kill himself. I would think the same thing’”: Keith Emerson’s partner says his health issues were caused by his fear of letting people down

Keith Emerson at the Casio booth at NAMM Show - Day 1 at Anaheim Convention Center on January 21, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/FilmMagic).

In 2016 the prog world lost one of its greatest musicians. Keith Emerson was the Hendrix of the Hammond organ, a showman par excellence and a prog rock legend – but offstage he was modest and unassuming. His partner Mari Kawaguchi, son Aaron and daughter-in-law Jo share memories of the man they knew out of the limelight.

“When I first met him, I had no idea who he was,” says Mari Kawaguchi, Keith Emerson’s life partner from 2006 until his death a decade later. She was working at Yale Medical School in Connecticut when she saw a flyer for the Keith Emerson Band playing at Toad’s Place, “this little tiny venue in New Haven.” Having played classical piano since the age of three, Kawaguchi was intrigued – although when the night came, she nearly stayed at home.