Bassist Andy Rourke, a member of British rock band The Smiths, has died aged 59, the band's guitarist Johnny Marr announced on Friday (May 19). "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke from pancreatic cancer," the rock band co-creator wrote on Twitter. “People who knew him will remember Andy as a kind person with a beautiful soul, and, fans, as an extremely gifted musician. »
Andy Rourke had joined The Smiths shortly after the band was formed by vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982, and has been with them for most of its existence. The bassist has played on the band's greatest classics, including This Charming Man and There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.
"He will never die as long as his music is listened to," ex-Smiths singer Morrissey wrote on his website, adding that Andy Rourke "didn't even realize his own power."
Andy Rourke also contributed solo hits to Morrissey after the band broke up. "He was also very, very funny and very happy, and in the post-Smiths era, he kept the same identity, without calculated gestures," Morrissey continued. “I guess in the end we all hope to feel that we were appreciated. Andy doesn't have to worry about that."
The sounds of The Smiths still define 1980s British indie rock today, across four albums – The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come.
Plagued by heroin addiction
"He was my best friend, we went everywhere together," Marr said in a tribute post on Instagram. "When we were 15, I moved into his house with him and his three brothers, and I quickly realized that my buddy was one of those few people that absolutely no one could hate. For his part, Mike Joyce, drummer of the band, hailed "not only the most talented bassist I've had the privilege of playing with, but also the sweetest and funniest guy I've ever met." .
Other tributes have already poured in. The band's producer, Stephen Street, expressed his sadness, hailing a "lovely guy and an amazing bassist". Suede bassist Mat Osman, meanwhile, paid tribute to a "rare bass player", whose "sound was immediately recognizable".
His addiction to heroin led to his departure from the group in 1986, which he returned to two weeks later. "You start making a lot of money and you don't know what to do with it. [So] you start spending it on drugs,” Mike Joyce explained shortly after.
Both had sued Johnny Marr and Morrissey over the distribution of royalties after the band broke up in 1987. An agreement was finally reached and the friendship between the bassist and the guitarist survived this litigation. Morrissey adopted an increasingly reactionary speech and was virulent towards his former comrades, before adopting a more conciliatory tone in his autobiography published in 2013.
