Page 32 - Peter Hook News Today

Rourke’s propulsive basslines worked in perfect tandem with Johnny Marr’s guitar parts to create the Smiths’ singular sound

He died of pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr revealed.

LONDON (AP) — Andy Rourke, bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s, has died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr said Friday. He was 59.

The Smiths’s bassist Andy Rourke has sadly passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute to Rourke, who he first met when both were schoolboys in 1975.

Bassist with the Smiths whose distinctive melodic style was central to the band’s sound

Andy Rourke, Bassist for the Smiths, Died Aged 59: Rourke played across the band's four studio LPs.

The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has died, aged 59. NME remembers Rourke's crucial contribution to the iconic band

Rourke's post-Smiths life may have been messy – but his distinctive, playful bass gave the dour Mancunians’ songs a dollop of fun

The former frontman of The Smiths said Rourke ‘didn’t ever know his own power’ in an online tribute following his death.