Depeche Mode Founding Member, Andy Fletcher has Died at 60

Depeche Mode Founding Member, Andy Fletcher has Died at 60

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Depeche Mode (Andy Fletcher far left). Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images.

Andy Fletcher, founding member and keyboardist of Depeche Mode for over four decades, has died at the age of 60. 

The sad news was confirmed via a post from the band’s social media account, however, no cause of death has been revealed at this time. 

"Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cold pint,” Depeche Mode wrote in a candid tribute to their bandmate.

“We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher. Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy in this difficult time.” 

Fletcher was born in Nottingham, England, in 1961. He was driven by a passion for music from a young age, forming his first band, No Romance in China with schoolmate Vince Clarke, in the late '70s. Not long after, a fateful meeting with guitarist Martin Gore in a local pub lead the trio to form a new group, Composition of Sound that, when completed by the arrival of singer Dave Gahan, changed their name for the very last time: Depeche Mode was born. 

With their lineup complete, the synth-pop icons' kicked off a trailblazing career with the release of their debut album Speak & Spell in 1981, propelled to the top of the charts by massive hits like Dreaming of Me and Just Can’t Get Enough. 

Depeche Mode | ‘Just Can't Get Enough’ 

Over the course of the next decade, Depeche Mode’s rise to fame was slow but steady, peaking with the arrival of their triple platinum seventh album, Violator in 1990 that would remain on the charts for 74 weeks and establish them as one of the biggest acts in the world.

Depeche Mode | ‘Enjoy The Silence’

Fletcher’s role in the band was fluid, often switching between bass keyboards and synthesizers. It’s a role most would describe as “multi-instrumentalist” but, in a show of the musician's humility and humour, Fletch made light of his roving responsibilities in D.A. Pennebaker's 1989 Depeche Mode documentary, saying, "Martin's the songwriter, Alan [Wilder]'s the good musician, Dave's the vocalist and I bum around."

In 2020, Fletcher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside longtime bandmates, Martin Gore and Dave Gahan, who gave a reflective acceptance speech, saying, “Growing up, listening to music on the radio and having music, it really kind of helped us to feel normal, feel part of something. That’s what music does for people, and I think that’s what Depeche Mode has done for many people. I think music really brings people together, and God knows we need that more today than it seems any other time."

Depeche Mode | ‘Personal Jesus’

RIP Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher,  a pioneering music legend, gone too soon. Our hearts go out to your family, friends and loved ones at this very difficult time. 

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