Perry Bamonte of the Cure Dead at 65

Perry Bamonte, who played guitar and keyboards for the Cure, has died at the age of 65.

“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,” the band posted on their website. “Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of the Cure story.”

After working as Robert Smith‘s guitar tech and personal assistant, Bamonte became an official member of the Cure in 1990, and the first album he appeared on was 1992’s Wish.

“Now, I’m one of the first to go home after a show instead of the last one to leave,” he said in an interview then. “It’s healthier, that’s for sure. Also, in the Cure we get to add our own parts to the music—tempos, accents…I think our sound is a lot more driven and noisy now. … Though we’re very separate and distinct individuals, we’ve evolved a sort of group mind with the music. It’s a lot like science fiction, being in the Cure.”

He played on two more studio albums, Wild Mood Swings (1996) and Bloodflowers (2000) before being dismissed from the group in 2005.

After that, Bamonte led a relatively quiet life, devoting most of his artistic talent to making illustrations. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside his Cure bandmates, and in 2022, he rejoined the band.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family,” the Cure’s statement concluded. “He will be very greatly missed.”