The death has been announced of Andy Rourke, the bass guitarist with the iconic band The Smiths. He was 59 and had been battling cancer.
Rourke's passing was announced by his Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr on Twitter on Friday morning.
Guitarist Marr 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."
Born in Manchester to an Irish father and English mother, Rourke was a childhood friend of Marr and joined him in The Smiths, playing on all their studio albums from their eponymous 1984 debut to their 1987 swansong Strangeways, Here We Come.
The demise of the Manchester four-piece was one of the most spectacular in the UK music world, the fallout from which saw Rourke and The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce taking singer Morrissey and Marr to court over royalties. Rourke settled out of court, and his friendship with Marr survived the case.
Following The Smiths' split, Rourke worked with Morrissey in his early solo career, Sinéad O'Connor, The Pretenders, Ian Brown, and the late Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan in the band D.A.R.K..
In a lengthy tribute on Instagram, Marr wrote: "Andy and I met as schoolboys in 1975. We were best friends, going everywhere together. When we were fifteen I moved into his house with him and his three brothers and I soon came to realise that my mate was one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn't like.
"Andy and I spent all our time studying music, having fun, and working on becoming the best musicians we could possibly be. Back then Andy was a guitar player and a good one at that, but it was when he picked up the bass that he would find his true calling and his singular talent would flourish.
"Throughout our teens we played in various bands around South Manchester before making our reputations with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and it was on those Smiths records that Andy reinvented what it is to be a bass guitar player."
"We maintained our friendship over the years, no matter where we were or what was happening and it is a matter of personal pride as well as sadness that the last time Andy played on stage was with me and my band at Maddison Square Garden in September 2022," Marr continued. "It was a special moment that we shared with my family and his wife and soul mate Francesca."
Marr concluded: "Well done Andy. We'll miss you brother. Johnny x."
Drummer Mike Joyce tweeted: "Not only the most talented bass player I've ever had the privilege to play with but the sweetest, funniest lad I've ever met.
"Andy's left the building, but his musical legacy is perpetual. I miss you so much already. Forever in my heart mate."
Paying tribute in a statement, Morrissey said: "Sometimes one of the most radical things you can do is to speak clearly.
"When someone dies, out come the usual blandishments … as if their death is there to be used. I'm not prepared to do this with Andy. I just hope … wherever Andy has gone … that he's OK. He will never die as long as his music is heard.
"He didn't ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done.
"He was also very, very funny and very happy, and post-Smiths, he kept a steady identity - never any manufactured moves.
"I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that."
Additional Reporting: Press Association, AFP
