Yesterday, one of Britain's finest modern day actors, Bob Hoskins, passed away at the age of 71, after suffering pneumonia.

Hoskins became an actor by accident - a former window cleaner and nightclub bouncer, he was in a pub whilst some auditions were taking place, when he was told "OK, you next." Not one to miss an opportunity like this, he simply shrugged and gave it a try. This paved the way for acting in more than 80 films during his career.

For Pink Floyd fans, he was one of the most notable figures in the film of The Wall. Credited as Rock and Roll Manager, his character is seen entering Pink's trashed hotel room, to find his charge firmly out of it, slumped in a chair. His expletive exclamation sets the scene perfectly, with him quickly placating Michael Ensign's Hotel Manager character with the explanation that Pink was "an asthmatic".

More notable films featuring Hoskins' unique talents ranged from the likes of The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa, through to Hook (as Smee) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His gruff cockney accent, his stocky appearance (or as he put it, "five foot six and cubed"), and his hugely accomplished acting style, always made him a compelling figure on screen - as perfectly illustrated in The Wall.

Under the framework of being Pink Floyd's founding members Roger Waters and Nick Mason have come together to issue an open letter responding to the plans for the Rolling Stones to play in Israel. Here's that letter in full, which we are sure (based on previous items on the subject) will prove divisive and quite emotive with fans on either side of the subject... so you know, we won't enter into correspondence regarding this, and offer no opinion over the subject under discussion - we're just reporting on it.

With the recent news that the Rolling Stones will be playing their first-ever concert in Israel, and at what is a critical time in the global struggle for Palestinian freedom and equal rights, we, the two surviving founders of Pink Floyd, have united in support of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), a growing, nonviolent global human rights movement initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005 to end Israel's occupation, racial discrimination and denial of basic Palestinian rights.

A specially-commissioned mural by artist Sir Peter Blake, 82, entitled Appearing at the Royal Albert Hall was unveiled yesterday at the iconic London venue. It is a new work with distinct echoes of his 1967 piece created for the cover of The Beatles album, Sgt Pepper's. The Hall was opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert's vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria are both represented in the mural.

Figures from entertainment, sport, science and the arts, all of whom have spoken or performed at the Knightsbridge hall since its opening, battle for attention in the 10ft high triptych, which is next to the Hall’s Café Bar in the Zvi and Ofra Meitar Porch and Foyer at Door 12 of the Hall. Included amongst the 400 luminaries in the image are three-quarters of the 1967 line-up of Pink Floyd, with only Richard Wright missing from the mural.

Sir Peter had not seen the finished mural, produced by digital manipulation, until the unveiling. "I've only seen it on computer," he said. "Hi-def images are just clearer and better. Sgt Pepper was a much more laborious process. Each cut-out had to be printed up photographically and stuck down and hand tinted. Now I'd do it on a computer obviously. Most of the names [for inclusion in the mural] were sent to me by the Royal Albert Hall."

You can explore the piece in detail here - and see if you can spot the Floyd:

In January, we told you about Gonzo Multimedia releasing three rare albums by the late sax legend Gary Windo, one of which features Robert Wyatt and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason. Windo was a highly original musician with an instantly recognizable style, and was involved in the Seventies with many icons of the British jazz and rock genres, including the Canterbury scene, but who sadly passed away in 1992.

In November of 1975, Windo formed Gary Windo & Friends for a one-off gig at Maidstone College of Art, with his wife Pam Windo on piano, guitarist Richard Brunton, and the rhythm section of Bill MacCormick, Nick Mason, and Laurie Allan. This group was the precursor to Windo's next album, which until this year had never been released. In 1976, Nick offered Windo time in Pink Floyd's brand new Britannia Row studio, which would give Windo the opportunity to make this album, and Pink Floyd the chance to test the new systems. Nick both produced and played drums, and with his typical sense of humour, Windo would call the album Steam Radio Tapes.

You can order this album through these links: Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, Amazon Espana and Amazon Italy.

We've since heard from his wife Pam. Last year, she wrote a portrait of her husband Gary, and added it to her website. A publisher picked up on it, and asked her to write a longer, more detailed version. This has now just been published - this week - as a paperback. 'Him Through Me: Making Love and Music in the Sixties and Seventies' is the story of a young couple's journey through the revolutionary music world of the Sixties and Seventies, and includes an introduction by Nick Mason, who is also featured throughout the book. She takes us back to the years of music she shared with him, reliving the successes and fiascos, the trials of being an artist and mother, the exhilaration of the Hippie and Women's Lib movements, and the challenges of an open marriage.

In part of Nick's introduction, he notes with customary wit that he "had no idea that beneath that nice Mrs Windo who lived down the road dwelt the kind of wild woman we had been constantly warned about (and were constantly looking for)." Fellow musician Robert Wyatt called the book "terrific stuff, a real record of the times...".

You can order the book now from: Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, Amazon Espana and Amazon Italy.