The Smiths’ Bassist Andy Rourke,
Mr. Rourke, who passed away at age 59. He was vital for us. If frequently unnoticed. He was a component of the iconic British band’s success. He passed away from cancer of the pancreas in New York.
The Smiths’ guitarist is Johnny Marr. He is a former bandmate of Mr. Rourke. They also shared the news of his passing on social media.
A spokesperson from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center confirmed his death from pancreatic cancer.
The Smiths’ guitarist is Johnny Marr, a former bandmate of Mr. Rourke. They also shared the news of his passing on social media.
Mr. Marr stated that Andy “will be remembered as having a good heart and a lovely soul. As a wonderfully talented musician.”
Light That Never Goes Out
Mr. Rourke contributed to all of the Smiths’ best-known songs. such as “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “This Charming Man,” making the band a household name in the US and a top-charting act in his native Ireland.
The Smiths’ Debut Album
The Smiths’ debut album, “The Smiths,” was reviewed by Robert Palmer for The New York Times in 1984. Their “music, lyrics, overall sound, and stance are unique and quite extraordinary,” according to Palmer.
According to Irish journalist David Cavanagh, who wrote about Mr. Rourke in 1993, His melodic bass playing was always “habitually unsung.” It was also “incontrovertibly top drawer.”
Mr. Rourke was excellent enough to have been in Elvis Presley’s band. According to Morrissey, the band’s lead vocalist, Mr. Cavanagh, recalled
In 1982, The Smiths were established in Manchester, England. 1982. Before Mr. Marr invited his old friend, the youthful Mr. Rourke, to join, the band already had a few bassists.
The Smiths’ Bassist Andy Rourke 2012 Interview With The Guardian.
Mr. Rourke recounted doing his first gig with the band in a small LGBT club in a 2012 interview with The Guardian. He claimed that because the Smiths “rehearsed to death,” their rapid rise to fame was not unexpected.
With “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” the Smiths scored their first top 10 hit in Britain within two years. The success came with its share of challenges.
Including Mr. Rourke’s development of heroin addiction. He claimed in an interview from 2011 that “You start getting a lot of money. Then you don’t know what to do: you start spending it on drugs.”
Mr. Rourke dropped his complaint after being offered 83,000 pounds (about $100,000). He then played in various different bands with varying degrees of success. According to press accounts from the time, Mr. Joyce went to court. The court case where he won.
They ordered Morrissey to pay him compensation of almost a million pounds.
Mr. Rourke admitted to the BBC in 2007 that the Smiths’ split “still smarts a bit.” But, he continued, at least his contributions to the songs “stand the test of time.”
The number of survivors was not immediately known.
