Perry Bamonte obit

Perry Bamonte Dies: Longtime Guitarist For The Cure Was 65

 He was not on the list.

Perry Bemonte, the longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential UK band The Cure, died over the Christmas holiday, the band confirmed on its official website Friday. He was 65.

In a statement, the band wrote that Bemonte passed away after a short illness at his home. No other details were provided by the goth alt-rock bad, which has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story,” the band wrote. It added, “Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”

Born in London in 1965, Bamonte and his brother were both roadies in the mid-1980s for the Robert Smith-led band, with Perry eventually elevated to band member status in 1990 after the exit of original member Roger O’Donnell, one of many comings and going within the group over the years.

Bamonte played guitar, six-string bass and keyboard first on the The Cure’s 1992 album Wish, the band’s ninth studio record and it’s biggest chart-topper; it flew to No. 1 in the UK and No. 2 in the U.S. behind hits “Wish and “Friday I’m in Love.” He also played on the albums Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers among others. The band said he performed more than 400 shows over a 14-year period before his own exit from the group.

He reunited with his former bandmates in 2019 for its induction into the Rock hall, and then rejoined The Cure officially in 2022, playing another 90 shows.

The last of those was the band’s November 1, 2024 concert at the Troxy in London to support The Cure’s album release of The Show of a Lost World, playing the album in full for a one and only time.

The 31-song show (including The Cure’s classic singles “Why Can’t I Be You?,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Fascination Street,” “Lovesong” and more) was filmed for the concert movie The Cure: The Show of a Lost World, which Trafalger Releasing bowed in theaters worldwide December 11 for a limited engagement.

He was also the bassist for Love Amongst Ruin. Bamonte was born in London, England on 3 September 1960. His younger brother Daryl worked as a tour manager for The Cure and Depeche Mode, and via this connection Perry joined the Cure's road crew in 1984.