The founding member of the British cult group has died suddenly at the age of 60. The group said goodbye with exciting news.
Alexander Schmaltz
Keyboardist Andrew Fletcher (left) alongside frontman Dave Gahan (centre) and guitarist Martin Gore at a press conference in 2016.dpa / Lena Klimkeit
Founding member Andrew “Fletch” Fletcher of British band Depeche Mode has died. The keyboardist died at the age of 60. In an emotional post, the band said goodbye to their old friend, who was an integral part of Depeche Mode until the end, on Thursday night. Fletch is survived by his wife and two children.
“We are shocked and filled with immense sadness at the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher,” the band tweeted Saturday night. He continues: “Fletch had a real heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cold beer.”
— Depeche Mode (@depechemode) May 26, 2022
The news of the death caused great grief to fans and colleagues. Former Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst tweeted that he thought Fletcher was a friend. “We have walked many of the same paths as young people.” And the Pet Shop Boys wrote on Facebook that they were sad and shocked. “Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also offer sound advice about the music business.”
2020: Andy Fletcher is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Born in Nottingham in 1961, Fletcher was a keyboardist and co-founder of electronic pioneers Depeche Mode. The musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his bandmates in 2020. “One of our legacies is to popularize electronic music among the masses,” Fletcher said in an interview with AFP in 2017, around the time of its release. the band’s last studio album.
Depeche Mode have sold more than a hundred million albums since their inception in 1980. Its biggest hits include songs like “Personal Jesus”, “Enjoy the Silence” or “Walking in my Shoes”. The cult group celebrated a string of hits in the 1980s and early 1990s and initially became synonymous with bouncy synth-pop before gradually developing a darker sound. (by dpa)