NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the The Cure, has died. He was 65.
The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday.
鈥淚t 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,鈥� the band wrote.
鈥淨uiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, 鈥楾eddy鈥� was a warm hearted and vital part of the statement continued. 鈥淥ur thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.鈥�
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鈥橠onnell 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 鈥淒isintegration,鈥� Bamonte is featured on a number of The Cure’s albums, including 1992’s 鈥淲ish鈥� 鈥� which features the career-defining hits 鈥矲riday I鈥檓 in Love鈥� and 鈥淗igh鈥� 鈥� as well as the 1996’s 鈥淲ild Mood Swings,鈥� 2000’s 鈥淏loodflowers鈥� 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 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, 鈥淪ongs of a Lost World.鈥� The concert was filmed for 鈥淭he Cure: The Show of a Lost World,鈥� a film released in cinemas globally this month. It is also available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD.
The Associated Press as 鈥渓ush and deeply orchestral, swelling and powerful鈥� 鈥� one of the best of the band’s career.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
