Andy Rourke, bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the crucial influential British bands of the Nineteen Eighties, has died after a prolonged sickness with pancreatic most cancers, his former bandmate Johnny Marr mentioned Friday. He was 59.
In a prolonged submit on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute to Rourke, who he first met when each had been schoolboys in 1975.
“All through our teenagers we performed in varied bands round south Manchester earlier than making our reputations with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and it was on these Smiths information that Andy reinvented what it’s to be a bass guitar participant,” Marr mentioned.
Throughout their brief time collectively as a four-piece band, The Smiths intentionally stayed away from the mainstream of fashionable music, garnering a cult following on the impartial music scene.
Although a lot of the eye centered on the song-writing partnership of Marr and frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey, higher often called Morrissey, the sound of The Smiths owed a lot to Rourke’s bass and his rhythm part accomplice, drummer Mike Joyce.
As their reputation swelled, the band launched a number of the most enduring British music of the Nineteen Eighties, together with “Heaven Is aware of I’m Depressing Now” and “Girlfriend In A Coma.”
The Smiths songs garnered a fame of being miserable, however had been in truth darkly humorous and accompanied by stirring and uplifting guitars. Their albums, together with The Queen is Useless and Meat is Homicide, stay a staple of any self-respecting music fan and are on the forefront of the revival of vinyl information.
“I used to be current at each certainly one of Andy’s bass takes on each Smiths session,” Marr mentioned. “Generally I used to be there because the producer and generally simply as his proud mate and cheerleader. Watching him play these dazzling baselines was an absolute privilege and genuinely one thing to behold.”
Marr mentioned he and Rourke maintained their friendship within the years after the band break up up, recalling that Rourke performed in his band at Madison Sq. Backyard as just lately as September 2022.
“It was a particular second that we shared with my household and his spouse and soul mate Francesca,” Marr mentioned. “Andy will all the time be remembered, as a sort and delightful soul by everybody who knew him, and as a supremely gifted musician by individuals who love music. Effectively performed Andy. We’ll miss you brother.”
After The Smiths, Rourke performed alongside The Pretenders and Sinead O’Connor, in addition to with the supergroup Freebass, which included Gary Mounfield from the Stone Roses and Peter Hook from New Order.
