Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, has died at the age of 65. The band confirmed his passing in a statement posted to their official website, revealing that Bamonte died at his home over Christmas following a short illness.
Bamonte‘s path into The Cure began behind the scenes. His younger brother, Daryl Bamonte, served as the band’s tour manager, which led Perry to join the group’s road crew in 1984. He later became Robert Smith‘s guitar technician and personal assistant, steadily embedding himself in the band’s inner circle.
In 1990, following the departure of keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, Bamonte officially became a full-time member of The Cure. His role within the band was fluid, contributing guitar, six-string bass, and keyboards. After Porl Thompson exited the group in 1993, Bamonte stepped into the role of lead guitarist.
Bamonte was dismissed from the band by Robert Smith in 2005, ending a 15-year stretch as a core member. A decade after his departure, Bamonte reunited with The Cure, returning to the stage in 2024. While he did not perform on the band’s latest studio album, Songs Of A Lost World — which had been completed prior to his rejoining — he toured with the band on the Shows Of A Lost World tour, including their most recent performance at London’s Troxy in November 2024.
Bamonte also appears in The Show Of A Lost World, the band’s concert film released just last week.
“It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas. Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy‘ was a warm hearted and vital part of the Cure story,” wrote The Cure in a statement.
“‘Looking after the band’ from 1984 through 1989, he became a full time member of the cure in 1990, playing guitar, six string bass and keyboard on the Wish, Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, Acoustic hits and the Cure albums, as well as performing more than 400 shows over 14 years.
“He rejoined the cure in 2022, playing another 90 shows, some of the best in the band’s history, culminating with the show of a lost world concert in London 1st November 2024. Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”
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