2023-05-19 10:44:39
Bassist Andy Rourke of the legendary British band The Smiths is dead. The musician died at the age of 59 “after a long illness from pancreatic cancer”, said his former bandmate Johnny Marr on Friday. “Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by all who knew him, and a tremendously gifted musician by music fans.”
Formed in 1982 by Marr and singer Morrissey, The Smiths became world famous with hits like “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” and “This Charming Man”. The British music magazine “NME” voted the rock band one of the most influential artists in history – even before the Beatles. Bands such as Radiohead, Oasis, Blur and Suede have said they were inspired by the Smiths.
Rourke joined the band shortly after its formation, which broke up in 1987. Temporarily his heroin addiction got to the point where he couldn’t perform, but he recovered quickly. Rourke also performed with other musicians including The Pretenders and Sinead O’Connor.
After The Smiths disbanded, Morrissey launched a very successful solo career – as did Johnny Marr.
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