The English rock group The Smiths loses one of its members this Friday. When he was only 59 years old, bassist Andy Rourke died of pancreatic cancer, announced this Friday Johnny Marr, the ex-guitarist of this flagship group of English indie rock of the 1980s. t is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a long illness, pancreatic cancer,” wrote Johnny Marr on his Twitter account, linked to his official website.
“Those who knew him will remember Andy as a kind and beautiful soul, fans as an extremely gifted musician,” he added on Instagram.
Originally from Manchester, in the north of England, the group was formed in 1982 and notably distinguished itself with its album “The Queen is Dead”, released in 1986. The album was reissued in 2017, in a luxurious box of 3 CDs and a DVD.
heroin addiction
Plagued by heroin addiction and financial difficulties, Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce had sued Johnny Marr and singer and lyricist Morrissey in a dispute over the distribution of their copyrights after the group broke up in 1987. An agreement had finally been reached and the friendship between the bassist and the guitarist had survived.
Morrissey has meanwhile adopted an increasingly reactionary discourse – he notably performed in 2019 on an American show with a badge from a British far-right party. He was virulent towards his former comrades, before adopting a more conciliatory tone in his autobiography published in 2013.
2023-05-19 09:48:00
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