Paul Ryder, the Salford-born bassist who helped define the “baggy” sound of the 1980s Madchester scene with his band Happy Mondays, has died at 58.
His passing was announced in a post to the beloved group’s Facebook page Friday morning. No cause of death has been given. “The Ryder family and Happy Mondays band members are deeply saddened and shocked to say that Paul Ryder passed away this morning,” the statement reads. “A true pioneer and legend.
He will be forever missed.” Ryder co-founded Happy Mondays with his brother Shaun (the group’s frontman), drummer Gary “Gaz” Whelan, keyboardist Paul Davis, and guitarist Mark Day, in 1980.
Mark “Bez” Berry would later join as a percussionist, dancer, and de facto hype man. Endlessly goofy and famously unruly, they helped ring in a distinctly British style that blended disco, funk, and Krautrock with house music.
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