Andy Rourke

Andrew Michael Rourke (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician, best known as the bassist of the 1980s indie rock band the Smiths. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he is known for his melodic and funk inspired approach to bass playing. Rourke joined the Smiths after their first gig, having known guitarist Johnny Marr since secondary school, and played on their entire discography. After the group broke up in 1987, he performed on some of lead vocalist Morrissey's early solo releases. Rourke recorded with Sinéad O'Connor and the Pretenders in the early 1990s, and was a member of the supergroup Freebass and the band D.A.R.K. He organised the Versus Cancer concerts from 2006 to 2009.

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