Andy Fletcher dies aged 60: Depeche Mode founding keyboardist passes away at UK home

msn.com:

Depeche Mode announced the death of founding member Fletcher on its official social media pages. A person close to the band said Fletcher died on Thursday from natural causes at his home in the UK.  "We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher," the band's posts said.  "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. "Fletcher formed the group that became giants of British electro-pop along with fellow synthesiser players Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, and lead singer Dave Gahan, in Basildon, England, in 1980.

The band broke out a year later with their debut album Speak and Spell, which opened with the modest hit New Life and closed with one of the band's enduring hits, Just Can't Get Enough.

Clarke left the group and was replaced by Alan Wilder after the album. The group found international success with 1984's Some Great Reward and the single People are People, and their prominence grew throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Fletcher lent his keyboards to classic albums including Music for the Masses, Black Celebration and Violator. The first of these led to a world tour that brought a live album, a documentary, and a legendary concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, that represented the pinnacle of the band's prominence.