THE Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has died aged 59.
His former bandmate Johnny Marr announced the tragic news on Twitter that the beloved musician had passed away.
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Who was Andy Rourke?
Manchester musician Andy Rourke was born on January 17, 1964 and was known for playing the bass.
He left school at 15 and later formed The Smiths with singer Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr and drummer Mike Joyce in 1982.
Andy became known for his ability to inject melodic bass lines which formed the backbone to some of The Smiths’ most iconic hits like This Charming Man and How Soon Is Now?.
He was briefly sacked for two weeks in 1986 for his heroin addiction but re-joined to release The Queen Is Dead album the same year.
The talented star left The Smiths in 1987 when the band broke up.
In a career spanning over 40 years, Andy performed with the likes of Sinead O’Connor and Ian Brown from The Stone Roses.
His music would go on to inspire the Britpop movement which birthed Oasis and Blur.
What was Andy Rourke’s cause of death?
Andy died aged 59 following a battle with pancreatic cancer on May 19, 2023.
Tributes immediately poured in with Suede bassist Matt Osman tweeting: “Aw man. RIP Andy Rourke. A total one-off – a rare bassist whose sound you could recognise straight away.
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“I remember so clearly playing that Barbarism break over and over, trying to learn the riff, and marvelling at this steely funk driving the track along.”
Was Andy married and did he have children?
During his life in the spotlight, Andy was private about his personal life.
We know that he did have an ex wife, and her name is reportedly Maxine.
Speaking about her interview with The Daily Beast in 2017, he revealed she kept a lot of his things after their break up, as he “left in a hurry”.
It is not reported that he had any children during his life
What has Morrissey and members of The Smiths said about Andy Rourke?
Morrissey is yet to comment publicly on Andy’s death, but bandmate Johnny Marr announced the sad news, calling his friend “supremely gifted musician”.
The tweet said: “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.”
Andy previously praised former bandmate Morrisey in 2019, as reported in Far Out.
When asked about the singer – who continues to perform as a solo artist – Andy described him as “a unique individual and a real talent”, adding “it was special working with him.”
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