Andy Rourke was the bassist for the British band the Smiths, known for their melodic ‘80s indie rock.
- Died: May 19, 2023 (Who else died on May 19?)
- Details of death: Died in New York City of pancreatic cancer at the age of 59.
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Andy Rourke’s legacy
Rourke joined the Smiths in 1982, a few months after Morrissey and Johnny Marr founded the iconic band. He replaced their original bassist just after their first live gig. Over the next five years, he would play on the Smiths’ four iconic studio albums, helping craft songs that became indelible parts of indie music history. Those songs included “This Charming Man,” “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” “How Soon Is Now,” “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore,” and “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” – all of which did moderately well on the U.K. charts. While their songs didn’t chart at all on the U.S. Hot 100, the Smiths’ music still found its way to the record players and tape decks of American fans. The band became popular on college radio and in underground clubs, cementing their status as foundational to the development of indie rock.
After the Smiths disbanded in 1987 amid ongoing tensions between band members, Rourke played on several of Morrissey’s solo songs, including “The Last of the Famous International Playboys” and “Piccadilly Palare,” and he co-wrote songs such as “Yes, I Am Blind.” He played bass and acoustic guitar on Sinead O’Connor’s Grammy Award-winning album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” Rourke also toured and recorded with artists including the Pretenders, Killing Joke, and Badly Drawn Boy. He formed the supergroup Freebass with fellow bass players Peter Hook of New Order and Gary “Mani” Manfield of the Stone Roses.
Notable quote
“I’m proud of it, what we did, and luckily the music has aged well. It’s timeless, I think.” —from a 2017 interview for Daily Beast
Tributes to Andy Rourke
Full obituary: The New York Times
