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“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 wrote.
“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative,
‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story,”
the statement continued. “Our thoughts and condolences are with
all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”
Bamonte worked with the band in various roles from 1984 to 1989,
including as roadie and guitar tech. He officially joined the
band in 1990, when keyboardist Roger O’Donnell quit. It was then
that he became a full-time member of the group, playing guitar,
six-string bass and keyboard.
Having joined just after the band's mainstream breakthrough,
1989's “Disintegration,” Bamonte is featured on a number of The
Cure's albums, including 1992's “Wish” — which features the
career-defining hits ″Friday I’m in Love″ and “High” — as well
as the 1996's “Wild Mood Swings,” 2000's “Bloodflowers” and
2004's self-titled release.
Bamonte was fired from The Cure by its singer and leader Robert
Smith in 2005. At that point in time, he had performed at over
400 shows across 14 years. Bamonte rejoined the group in recent
years, touring with the band in 2022 for another 90 gigs.
In 2019, Bamonte was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
alongside the rest of The Cure.
His last performance with the band was on Nov. 1, 2024 in London
for a special one-off event to launch their latest album and
first in 16 years, “Songs of a Lost World.” The concert was
filmed for “The Cure: The Show of a Lost World,” a film released
in cinemas globally this month. It is also available to purchase
on Blu-ray and DVD.
The Associated Press described “Songs of a Lost World” as “lush
and deeply orchestral, swelling and powerful” — one of the best
of the band's career.
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