Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, bassist with The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, has died aged 63. His brother Greg wrote on Facebook, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother. RIP RKID."
Mani was a key member of both the Roses and the Primals. He played on both of The Stone Roses’ records, 1989's majestic debut and 1994 follow-up Second Coming, before their initial split in 1996, rejoining the band for their triumphant reunion shows in 2011. In between, he had taken up bass duties in Primal Scream, joining Bobby Gillespie and the crew in 1996 and staying with them until 2011.
Tributes have been rolling in for the musician from Crumpsall in north Manchester, one of the best-loved and most-respected bassists of his generation.
His former bandmate Ian Brown wrote on X, “REST IN PEACE MANi X” whilst Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher posted, “IN TOTAL SHOCK AND ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED ON HEARING THE NEWS ABOUT MANI MY HERO RIP RKID LG”.
The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess shared a photo of them both, summing up the general feeling by writing, “One of the absolute best in every way - such a beautiful friend.” Over the years, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about the bass supremo.
Other artists including Shaun Ryder, Rowetta, Ian McCulloch and more also posted tributes to the bassist. Just last week, it had been announced that he was due to go on a conversation tour of the UK.
His passing comes two years after the death of his wife, Imelda Mounfield, who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in November 2020. The couple had twin boys, born in 2012.
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