Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, bassist for The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, dies aged 63
Ian Brown and Tim Burgess are among those to pay tribute to the Manchester legend
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, legendary bassist for The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, has died aged 63.
The news was broken by the musician’s brother, Greg Mounfield, who said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother.” The musician’s cause of death has not been announced.
Ian Brown, singer of The Stone Roses, wrote: “REST IN PEACE MANI X” on X/Twitter, while The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess said: “I shared this photo a week or so ago on Mani’s birthday – It never failed to bring a smile to my face – and that was exactly the same for the man himself. One of the absolute best in every way – such a beautiful friend Love you Mani x x Never to be forgotten.”
Mani was set to tour the UK with a speaking tour, beginning in September of 2026 and running until the next summer.
Mani joined the band the Fireside Chaps alongside John Squire and Andy Couzens in Greater Manchester in the early 1980s. The group went through several name and lineup changes, before taking on Ian Brown as frontman, and becoming The Stone Roses who played their first official gig in October 1984.
The group’s iconic 1989 debut album defined a generation and saw them become leaders of the 90s Madchester movement. Their second album came in 1994’s Second Coming, before they split in 1996. The group’s 2012 reunion became one of the biggest rock events of the decade, with 50,000 tickets for two initial Heaton Park shows in Manchester selling out in a matter of minutes. He played with the group until they parted ways once more in 2017. He was also a full-time member of Primal Scream until he reunited with the Stone Roses in 2011.
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