The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke dies aged 59
The bass player of The Smiths, Andy Rourke, has passed away at the age of 59, as confirmed by the band. Guitarist Johnny Marr recently announced the death of Rourke, noting that he had passed after suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Marr wrote on Twitter, “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.”
Rourke was known for his melodic approach to playing the bass and became friends with his future Smiths bandmate Marr when he was 11 years old. The two used to spend school lunchtimes jamming guitar, and when the two decided to start a band, Marr suggested that Rourke should switch to bass.
He joined The Smiths after their first gig and went on to play on some of their most famous tracks, including ‘This Charming Man’ and ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’. Marr described Rourke’s rhythmic contributions to their albums as “something no other bass player could match”.
After the band split up, Rourke would offer his services to singer Morrissey’s solo albums, as well as playing in a supergroup called Freebass with Mani from the Stone Roses and Peter Hook from New Order. He also played alongside Sinéad O’Connor, the Pretenders, Killing Joke and Badly Drawn Boy as a session musician.
However, his post-Smiths career was hindered initially but a heroin addiction that had a huge financial and healthy bearing on Rourke. This resulted in many legal battles with his former bandmates and made it difficult for him to sustain a career.
Despite this struggle, Rourke was able to battle against the habit and in the wake of that he tirelessly pursued charity work as the organiser of Manchester’s annual Versus Cancer concert. As Tim Burgess has stated: “He was an inspirational musician with a style that made so many of us pick up a bass guitar; and the driving force for Manchester Versus Cancer.”
Rourke will be remembered as one of the forefathers of the British indie scene and a truly gifted musician.
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