The Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Dies at 59
Written by djfrosty on May 19, 2023
Andy Rourke, founding bass player with the Smiths, the iconic ’80s indie band whose reputation seems to grow with each passing year, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 59.
Bandmate and guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed the sad news: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer,” he writes on social media.
“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 performed on all four of the Smiths’ studio albums, each of them classics: The Smiths (from 1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987).
Led by Morrissey and the talismanic Marr with his jangly guitar style, the Smiths are considered the benchmark for what an “indie” band could sound like. And with its bank of hits, including “There Is a Light That Will Never Go Out,” “This Charming Man,” “How Soon Is Now,” and many others, an argument could me made that the Smiths is the greatest in its genre.
More to come…