UK band Depeche Mode have announced that their keyboard player Andy Fletcher has died at the age of 60.

No cause of death has been shared at this time.

In a statement released on Thursday night on Twitter, the band said, "We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness at the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy "Fletch" Fletcher.

"Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cold pint.

"Our hearts are with his family and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy at this difficult time,"

A founding member of the band, who have hits including Enjoy The Silence, Just Can't Get Enough and Personal Jesus, Fletcher had been making music since the 1970s.

In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode.

He was born in 1961 in Nottingham, England, and moved to Basildon when he was a child.

He met future Depeche Mode founding member Vince Clarke and they started a band in the late '70s, called No Romance In China.

After meeting Martin Gore, the three formed a new act called Composition Of Sound. In 1980, Dave Gahan joined the group and they changed their name to Depeche Mode.