The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke dies aged 59
Andy Rourke, the bassist for indie legends The Smiths, has died aged 59.
The death was announced by fellow band member Johnny Marr.
He said: “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.”
Former members of The Smiths, Andy Rourke (R) and Johnny Marr, on stage during the Manchester Versus Cancer charity concert
The Smiths
Rourke played in The Smiths, the alternative indie band from the 1980s fronted by Morrissey, who had hits such as This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
The original line-up of the Manchester band comprised of Rourke, frontman Morrissey, guitarist Marr and drummer Mike Joyce.
Rourke also played with artists such as The Pretenders, Sinead O’Connor and Badly Drawn Boy.
The Smiths split in 1987 after Marr believed an NME article headlined “Smiths to split” was real and planted by Morrissey.
It led to a royalties dispute which saw Joyce and Rourke taking Morrissey and Marr to court in 1989.
Writing on Instagram in tribute to Rourke, Marr added: “Andy and I met as schoolboys in 1975. We were best friends, going everywhere together. When we were fifteen I moved into his house with him and his three brothers and I soon came to realise that my mate was one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn’t like.
“Andy and I spent all our time studying music, having fun, and working on becoming the best musicians we could possibly be. Back then Andy was a guitar player and a good one at that, but it was when he picked up the bass that he would find his true calling and his singular talent would flourish.”
Marr also said he will never forget watching Rourke play bass on their album The Queen Is Dead, and that it was an “absolute privilege” to watch him play “those dazzling basslines”.
Suede bassist Mat Osman also paid tribute to Rourke, tweeting: “A total one-off – a rare bassist whose sound you could recognise straight away.
“I remember so clearly playing that Barbarism break over and over, trying to learn the riff, and marvelling at this steely funk driving the track along.”
Rourke in 2014. Pic:AP
Marr’s drummer Jack Mitchell wrote: “I first met Andy Rourke in 1999 when I was 18 (I was working with him when he played for Aziz Ibrahim) I can’t tell you how much he welcomed me with open arms. He was the funniest person I’d ever met.
“He played and sang along to Bowie’s Hunky Dory on the journeys across the UK. I can’t tell you how much I looked up to him. To be able to play on stage with him 20 years later was a true privilege. One of the greatest. Rest in peace.”
New Order guitarist Philip Cunningham added: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Andy Rourke. A kind-hearted beautiful person and an awesome talent. Thoughts to all family and friends at this difficult time.”
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Joy star James Norton on the ‘postcode lottery’ of IVF – and playing the scientist who was part of creating the first ‘test-tube baby’
Actor James Norton, who stars in a new film telling the story of the world’s first “test-tube baby”, has criticised how “prohibitively expensive” IVF can be in the UK.
In Joy, the star portrays the real-life scientist Bob Edwards, who – along with obstetrician Patrick Steptoe and embryologist Jean Purdy – spent a decade tirelessly working on medical ways to help infertility.
The film charts the 10 years leading up to the birth of Louise Joy Brown, who was dubbed the world’s first test-tube baby, in 1978.
In the UK, statistics show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade
Norton, who is best known for playing Tommy Lee Royce in the BAFTA-winning series Happy Valley, told Sky News he has friends who were IVF babies and other friends who have had their own children thanks to the fertility treatment.
“But I didn’t know about these three scientists and their sacrifice, tenacity and skill,” he said. The star hopes the film will be “a catalyst for conversation” about the treatment and its availability.
“We know for a fact that Jean, Bob and Patrick would not have liked the fact that IVF is now so means based,” he said. “It’s prohibitively expensive for some… and there is a postcode lottery which means that some people are precluded from that opportunity.”
Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton star in Joy. All pics: Netflix/ Kerry Brown
Now, IVF is considered a wonder of modern medicine. More than 12 million people owe their existence today to the treatment Edwards, Steptoe and Purdy worked so hard to devise.
But Joy shows how public backlash in the years leading up to Louise’s birth saw the team vilified – accused of playing God and creating “Frankenstein babies”.
Bill Nighy and Thomasin McKenzie star alongside Norton, with the script written by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne and his wife Rachel Mason.
The couple went through seven rounds of IVF themselves to conceive their son.
Norton portrays scientist Bob Edwards, while McKenzie plays embryologist Jean Purdy
While the film is set in the 1970s, the reality is that societal pressures haven’t changed all that much for many going through IVF today – with the costs now both emotional and financial.
“IVF is still seen as a luxury product, as something that some people get access to and others don’t,” said Thorne, speaking about their experiences in the UK.
“Louise was a working-class girl with working-class parents. Working class IVF babies are very, very rare now.”
In the run-up to the US election, Donald Trump saw IVF as a campaigning point – promising his government, or insurance companies, would pay for the treatment for all women should he be elected. He called himself the “father of IVF” at a campaign event – a remark described as “quite bizarre” by Kamala Harris.
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Bill Nighy ‘proud’ of new film on IVF breakthrough
“I don’t think Trump is a blueprint for this,” Norton said. “I don’t know how that fits alongside his questions around pro-choice.”
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In the UK, statistics from fertility regulator HEFA show the proportion of IVF cycles paid for by the NHS has dropped from 40% to 27% in the last decade.
“It’s so expensive,” Norton said. “Those who want a child should have that choice… and some people’s lack of access to this incredibly important science actually means that people don’t have the choice.”
Joy is in UK cinemas from 15 November, and on Netflix from 22 November
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