Guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte dies aged 65

The Cure guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte has died aged 65, the band has said.

In a statement on The Cure’s website, the band said the British musician died “after a short illness at home over Christmas”, saying they were announcing the news with “enormous sadness”.

It read: “Quiet, intensive, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story.”

Having been part of The Cure’s road crew from 1984, Bamonte was asked to join the band after the departure of keyboardist Roger O’Donnell in 1990.

He went on to play guitar, keyboard and bass on five studio albums, featuring on tracks including Friday I’m In Love, High and A Letter To Elise.

Bamonte also appeared on The Cure’s live albums Paris and Show, both released in 1993, and performed at more than 400 shows with the band over the course of 14 years.

Bamonte later became the bass player in supergroup Love Amongst Ruin.

He re-joined The Cure in 2022, playing with them until 2024.

His former Cure bandmate, drummer Lol Tolhurst, posted a tribute on Instagram, saying: “So sad to hear about Perry Bamonte passing… Farewell Teddy.”

Formed in Crawley in 1976 by lead singer Robert Smith and Tolhurst, The Cure have had a regularly changing line-up, and are known for their heavy influence on goth, post-punk and indie music.

In 2019, Balmonte was present when The Cure were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Balmonte also had a keen interest in fly fishing and built a career as an illustrator, contributing to the magazine Fly Culture.