- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Mets advance on Lindor grand slam, Yankees and Tigers win
- Taiwan President Lai vows to 'resist annexation' of island
- China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Zelensky on whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
Andy Rourke, the Smiths' charming man, dies aged 59
The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, whose pounding rhythms underscored some of the most influential albums in British music history, has died at the age of 59, band-mate Johnny Marr announced Friday.
Rourke died "after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer", the Smiths lead guitarist and co-founder said.
"Andy will always be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by everyone who knew him, and as a supremely gifted musician by people who love music," Marr wrote on Instagram.
Along with drummer Mike Joyce, Rourke provided a whip-tight rhythm section underlying Marr's pioneering chords and co-founder Morrissey's mordant lyrics as the Smiths became one of Britain's best-loved bands in the 1980s.
Rourke's bass lines on songs such as "This Charming Man", "The Headmaster Ritual" and "The Queen Is Dead" defined a new era of craftmanship that was acclaimed by contemporaries.
"A total one-off -- a rare bassist whose sound you could recognise straight away," Suede bassist Mat Osman said.
On "Barbarism Begins At Home", Rourke reverted to the funk bass of an early band he had formed with Marr -- although the song was less liked by Marr and Morrissey.
"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," Osman said.
Battling heroin addiction and financial difficulties, Rourke joined Joyce in suing Marr and Morrissey for a greater share of royalties after the Smiths split up acrimoniously in 1987.
The bassist settled out of court, and his friendship with Marr survived the bitter hearings, during which the judge described Morrissey as "devious, truculent and unreliable".
Morrissey, who has increasingly flirted with far-right politics in recent years, was virulent about his former band-mates before adopting a more conciliatory tone in his book "Autobiography".
- 'Dazzling' -
Rourke and Marr met at school in the northwest English city of Manchester in 1975, and became best friends.
"When we were 15 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," Marr said.
"Andy and I spent all our time studying music, having fun, and working on becoming the best musicians we could possibly be."
Marr recalled the last time they played together, at New York's Madison Square Garden in September 2022, and at being present in the studio for every one of Rourke's bass takes during the Smiths recording sessions.
"Watching him play those dazzling bass lines was an absolute privilege and genuinely something to behold," he said.
"But one time which always comes to mind was when I sat next to him at the mixing desk watching him play his bass on the song 'The Queen Is Dead'.
"It was so impressive that I said to myself 'I'll never forget this moment'."
The Smiths producer Stephen Street said he was "so saddened" at Rourke's death, adding: "Andy was a superb musician and a lovely guy."
Singer-songwriter Billy Bragg also sent his condolences.
"I have great memories of him playing with Johnny Marr and myself on the Red Wedge tour," he said, recalling concerts mounted by left-wing musicians to support Britain's Labour party in the late 1980s.
"He was a lovely guy and an amazing bass player."
T.Ward--AMWN