Andy Rourke, the bassist for indie legends The Smiths, has died aged 59.
The news was announced by guitarist Johnny Marr on social media, who wrote
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. We request privacy at this sad time.”
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
Rourke played on The Smiths’s classic back catalogue including hits such as This Charming Man and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
both classic examples of his often boldly melodic style – as well as on solo songs for frontman Morrissey after the group disbanded.
He also played in the supergroup Freebass with two other celebrated Mancunian bass guitarists, New Order’s Peter Hook and the Stone Roses’s Mani
and recorded with Sinéad O’Connor, the Pretenders, Ian Brown and was in the group Dark with the Cranberries vocalist Dolores O’Riordan.
The Smiths formed around the partnership of Marr and Morrissey in 1982. Bassist Steve Pomfret joined
replaced by Dale Hibbert, who played The Smiths’s first gig but was replaced thereafter by Rourke
a schoolfriend of Marr since the age of 11 – the pair had formed a short-lived earlier band, Freak Party.
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