The Cure’s guitarist and keyboardist, Perry Bamonte, has died at the age of 65.
The band confirmed the news today in an official announcement on their website, sharing that the musician died after coming down with a short illness at home over Christmas.
They wrote: ‘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.
“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 on 1 November 2024. Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.’
Born Perry Archangelo Bamonte in London in 1960, he initially became a member of The Cure’s road crew in 1984.
At the same time, his brother Daryl was appointed as the band’s tour manager. Soon, Bamonte became frontman Robert Smith’s guitar technician and personal assistant.
From 1984 to 1989, he worked closely behind the scenes, helping to ‘look after the band’ during a period of constant touring and creative expansion.
Then, in 1990, after keyboardist Roger O’Donnell left the band, Bamonte’s induction as keyboardist marked the start of a prolific chapter in the group’s history.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Bamonte contributed guitar, six-string bass, and keyboards across several of The Cure’s major releases, including albums such as Wish, Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, Acoustic Hits, and The Cure.
Across 14 years, he performed more than 400 live shows, becoming a central figure in the band’s evolving sound throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2022, after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, Bamonte rejoined the band, a return that delighted long-time fans and ushered in what the group themselves described as some of the strongest performances of their career.
Over the following two years, he played a further 90 shows, culminating in the emotionally charged Show of a Lost World concert in London on November 1, 2024.
Bamonte had been due to be a part of The Cure’s string of UK and European dates in 2026.
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