It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Andy Rourke after a long illness, pancreatic cancer, writes Johnny Marr on his Twitter account, which is linked to his official website.
Those who knew him will remember Andy as a kind and beautiful soul, admirers as an extremely gifted musician, he added on Instagram, where he posted a photo of them at a young age.
“We met Andy at school in 1975. We were best friends, we went everywhere together,” he said.
Originally from Manchester in northern England, the group formed in 1982 and were notable for their 1986 album The Queen is Dead.
In the band’s albums, Andy Rourke reinvented bass guitar playing, Johnny Marr claimed on Instagram.
Suede bassist Mat Osman paid tribute to a rare bassist whose sound was instantly recognizable.
friction and decline
Plagued by heroin addiction and financial difficulties, two years after the band split in 1987, Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce sued Johnny Marr and singer-lyricist Morrissey in a copyright split.
An agreement was finally reached and the friendship between the bassist and the guitarist endured.
Morrissey, meanwhile, adopted an increasingly reactionary discourse. Notably, he appeared on an American show in 2019 wearing the badge of a British far-right party. He was vicious towards his former comrades before adopting a more forgiving tone in his autobiography, published in 2013.
The band’s producer Stephen Street expressed his sadness while paying tribute to a lovely guy and an incredible bass player.