What did Smiths bass player Andy Rourke die of?

The UK music community is in mourning with the news that Andy Rourke, bass player with legendary 80s indie group The Smiths, has passed away at the relatively young age of 59. It was Rourke’s former band mate and childhood friend Johnny Marr, who announced the sad news on social media on Friday morning. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. 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”.

Formed in Manchester in 1982, The Smiths were championed by John Peel, who handed the group their first BBC session in May 1983, coinciding with the band’s first release, Hand in Glove on independent label Rough Trade. It was the follow-up single, This Charming Man, released in the autumn of 83, that got the Mancunian four-piece mainstream exposure - Marr’s melodic and intricate guitar lines were complemented by Rourke’s expressive bass runs, influenced not by the other indie bands of the day but the post-disco era funk and boogie music that was emerging in New York and Chicago clubs - records that were embraced on the Manchester music scene and regularly heard at mythical venue, the Haçienda.

Rourke’s basslines were an integral part of the Smiths’ sound - look no further than the band’s March 1984 performance of Barbarism begins at Home on The Tube for an example of that funk influence. When the group released their sixth single Shakespeare’s Sister in March 1985, Marr enthused that even Elvis and Scotty Moore would have been blown away by the unrestrained, rockabilly rhythm backdrop provided by Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce on the record.

To the dismay of their loyal fanbase, the group split in 1987, tensions between bandmates reaching the point of no return. “That’s groups for you...” was Sir Paul McCartney’s blunt consolation for Marr several years later. Rourke and Marr remained on good terms even while resentment with singer Morrissey continued to simmer. The bond between the two friends was evident when Rourke invited Marr onto his EVR radio show in 2013. They hooked up when Marr’s band supported The Killers at Madison Square Garden in September last year - it turned out to be their last appearance together on stage.

“Sometimes one of the most radical things you can do is to speak clearly. When someone dies, out come the usual blandishments … as if their death is there to be used. I’m not prepared to do this with Andy. I just hope … wherever Andy has gone … that he’s OK. He will never die as long as his music is heard. He didn’t ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done. He was also very, very funny and very happy, and post-Smiths, he kept a steady identity - never any manufactured moves. I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that”.

Morrissey. 19 May 2023.

Andy Rourke classic basslines

What is pancreatic cancer?

Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of the pancreas, an organ behind the lower part of the stomach. The pancreas releases enzymes that aid digestion and produces hormones that help to manage blood sugar. The most common type of cancer that forms in the pancreas begins in the cells that line the ducts that carry digestive enzymes out of the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is seldom detected at its early stages when it’s most curable because it often doesn’t cause symptoms until after metastasis.

Pancreatic cancer: key symptoms to look out for