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Billy Lyall

Musical artist

William Lyall (26 March 1953 – 1 December 1989) was a Scottish musician, known for his work with Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and the Bay City Rollers.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lyall was a singer, keyboard player and flautist with Pilot, and co-wrote Magic, Pilot's 1974 hit single.

He contributed to the Alan Parsons Project with fellow Pilot members, and he was an early member of the Bay City Rollers. He was keyboard player for Dollar between 1978 and 1982.

He left Pilot in early 1976, and released a solo album, Solo Casting later that year. In 1979, he contributed string arrangements and synthesizer to an album by the band Runner.

Death

Lyall was a victim of the AIDS pandemic, and died at age 36 in 1989. Bay City Rollers' manager Tam Paton later said that Lyall was gay.

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