‘We Are Shocked’: Depeche Mode Confirms News Of Band Member Andy Fletcher’s Death At 60

Depeche Mode band members confirmed the news that founding member of the British 80s and 90s rock group, keyboardist Andrew Fletcher, had died at the age of 60.

In a statement Thursday from the band, the group wrote that they were “shocked” and saddened to share the news that the keyboard player had died. There was no other information provided as to a possible cause of death at the time of this publication.

“We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher,” the statement read.

“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,” it added. “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 1961, and in the late 1970s he founded the group Composition Of Sound alongside Martin Gore and Vince Clarke. Once singer Dave Gahan came on board, they changed the name to Depeche Mode, The Guardian reported. Fletcher not only played the keyboard, but sometimes worked the bass guitar.

“Martin’s the songwriter, Alan’s the good musician, Dave’s the vocalist, and I bum around,” he once joked in the band’s 1989 documentary 101, co-directed by D.A. Pennebaker, Deadline reported.

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— Depeche Mode (@depechemode) May 26, 2022

“The beauty of using electronics is that music can now be made in your bedroom,” Fletcher told Rolling Stone in 1990. “You don’t need to get four people together in some warehouse to practice. You don’t have to have four excellent musicians fighting among themselves. You can do it in your bedroom, and it’s all down to ideas.”

The band found huge success with such hits as “New Life” and “Just Can’t Get Enough,” “Personal Jesus,” and “Policy of Truth,” among so many more. The British pop group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Following news of Fletcher’s death, founding member of The Cure, Lol Tolhurst, tweeted, “Very sad news today. Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has passed. I knew Andy and considered him a friend. We crossed many of the same pathways as younger men. My heart goes out to his family, bandmates, and DM fans. RIP Fletch.”