Andy Rourke, bassist for ’80s British group The Smiths, dead at 59

Andy Rourke, the bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s, has died after a long illness with pancreatic cancer, former bandmate Johnny Marr said on Friday. He is 59 years old.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute to Rourke, who he first met as a schoolboy in 1975.

“Throughout our teenage years we played in various bands in south Manchester before making our reputation with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and on those Smiths records Andy reinvented what it was like to be a bass guitar player,” says Marr.

During their short time together as a four-piece band, The Smiths deliberately stayed away from the mainstream of popular music, garnering a cult following in the independent music scene.

Although much attention has focused on the songwriting partnership of Marr and frontman Morrissey, The Smiths’ sound owes much to Rourke’s bass and rhythm section partner, drummer Mike Joyce.

‘A good and beautiful soul’

As their popularity grew, the band released some of the most enduring British hits of the 1980s, including Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Right Now and Girlfriend In A Coma.

The Smiths songs garnered a reputation of depressing, but in fact dark jokes and accompanied by stirring and uplifting guitar. His album, included The Queen is Dead and Meat is Murderremains a staple of self-respecting music fans and is at the forefront of the vinyl record revival.

“I was on every bass Andy played at every Smiths session,” Marr says. “Sometimes I’m there as a producer and sometimes just as a proud friend and cheerleader. Watching him play on such an amazing baseline is an absolute privilege and a real treat to behold.”

Marr said he and Rourke remained friends in the years after the band broke up, noting that Rourke played with the band at Madison Square Garden as recently as September 2022.

“This is a special moment that we share with Francesca’s family and wife and friends,” Marr said. “Andy will always be remembered, as a kind and beautiful soul by everyone who knew him, and as a great musician by those who love music.

Drummer Mike Joyce, Rourke’s rhythm section partner in The Smiths, tweeted: “Andy left the building, but his musical legacy lives on.”

Mat Osman, bass player in the British group Suede, said Rourke is “a total one-off – a rare bassist whose voice you can immediately recognize.”

After The Smiths, Rourke played with The Pretenders and Sinead O’Connor, as well as with the supergroup Freebass, which included Gary Mounfield of the Stone Roses and Peter Hook of the New Order.