Andy Fletcher obit

Andy Fletcher, Depeche Mode Keyboardist, Dead at 60

His bandmates are "shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness" by his untimely passing

 

He was not on the list.

 

Andy "Fletch" Fletcher, the founding keyboardist of Depeche Mode, has died. He was 60 years old. The news was announced in a post by his bandmates, who expressed their shock and sadness at the untimely nature of his passing.

"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 reads. "Fletch had a truet heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint.

"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 co-founded Depeche Mode in 1980, playing on 14 of their albums and touring with the band up through their most recent shows in 2018. In 2020, he was inducted alongside his bandmates into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. R.I.P.

Fletcher's role within Depeche Mode has often been a topic of speculation. In early incarnations of the band, he played (electric and later synth) bass. As the band evolved after Vince Clarke's departure in 1981, Fletcher's role changed as each of the band members took to the areas that suited them and benefited the band collectively. In a key scene in D.A. Pennebaker's 1989 documentary film about the band, Fletcher clarifies these roles: "Martin's the songwriter, Alan's the good musician, Dave's the vocalist, and I bum around." In his review of 2005's Playing the Angel, long after Wilder's departure from the band, Rolling Stone writer Gavin Edwards riffed upon Fletcher's statement with the opening line: "Depeche Mode's unique division of labor has been long established, with each of the three remaining members having a distinct role: Martin Gore writes the songs, Dave Gahan sings them and Andy Fletcher shows up for photo shoots and cashes the checks." Fletcher is the only member of the band who has not received a songwriting credit.

With the band having not always employed a full-time manager, Fletcher has handled many of the band's business, legal, and other non-musical interests over the years. In the press kit for Songs of Faith and Devotion, he discussed being genuinely interested in many of the business aspects of the music industry that other performing musicians shy away from, and as such, he took over a lot of the business management aspects of the band. In recent years, this has included acting as the band's "spokesperson", with Fletcher often being the one to announce Depeche Mode news (such as record album and tour details).

He was also said to be the member who was "the tiebreaker" and the one that "brings the band together". According to interviews, Fletcher built the compromise between Gahan and Gore that settled their serious dispute following 2001's Exciter album and tour over future songwriting duties within Depeche Mode.

In the studio and during live shows, Fletcher does contribute a variety of supporting synthesizer parts, including bass parts, pads, strings and drone sounds, and various samples.

However, he is notably the only member of Depeche Mode who does not sing. Although he can be seen singing in videos of Depeche's past live performances, usually Fletcher's vocals were either mixed very low or heard only through his own stage monitors. From the band's 2013/14 Delta Machine Tour, vocal mics are no longer present on his keyboard station.

He notably sings on the interlude "Crucified" on Violator. According to Alan Wilder, every band member participated in the choir on the song "Condemnation" from Songs of Faith and Devotion and Wilder confirms this on the press kit of the same album.

In 2002, Fletcher launched his own record label, a Mute Records imprint called Toast Hawaii (named after the dish) and signed the band CLIEИT. He coordinated the recording of their eponymous 2003 debut and 2004's City, while also produced "extended remixes" for their subsequent singles "Price of Love," "Rock and Roll Machine," "Here and Now," "In It for the Money," "Radio" and "Pornography" (featuring Carl Barât of The Libertines).

CLIEИT left the label in 2006 and no further activity with Toast Hawaii has occurred or been announced to date.

Initially to support CLIEИT's live shows, Fletcher began touring as a DJ. Currently, when he is on hiatus from Depeche Mode, Fletcher plays occasional festivals and club gigs in Europe, Asia, South America and "places where Depeche Mode haven't visited or been able to visit", and is known to include various exclusive Depeche remixes in his sets. A notable DJ set of Fletcher's from 15.02.2004 in Warsaw has been widely bootlegged, titled "One Night in Warsaw".

In late 2015, Fletcher embarked on a small tour of European clubs.

Fletcher was the eldest of four siblings born to Joy and (the late) John Fletcher. The family moved to Basildon from Nottingham when Fletcher was two years old. He was active in the local Boys' Brigade from an early age, primarily to play football. It was in this Christian youth organization that he met future Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke, and the two have both recollected in interviews the local missionary work they attempted on behalf of the organization to convert non-believers.[13]

Fletcher married his longtime girlfriend Gráinne Mullan on 16 January 1993 and the couple have two children, Megan and Joe.

While Depeche Mode were touring with the band Blancmange in the early 1980s, Fletcher was renowned for his skill at chess. Neil Arthur of Blancmange has mentioned in interviews "never winning a game of chess with Andy Fletcher!"

During the 1990s, Fletcher owned a restaurant called Gascogne located on Blenheim Terrace in St. John's Wood, London.[15][11]

He made a series of bad investments in the mid-1990s that led to a number of financial settlements involving Lloyd's of London and Daniel Miller.[

According to The Independent, "Fletcher's deepening depression resulted, in the summer of 1994, in a full nervous breakdown."

He's also a Chelsea FC supporter.

In April 2022, Fletcher fractured his wrist while on holiday to Barcelona