Depeche Mode has just announced the death of keyboard player and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Andy Fletcher.

Depeche Mode has just announced the death of band member, Fletch, at the age of 60. His full name was Andrew John Leonard Fletcher and he was a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame keyboard player. Andy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, as a member of Depeche Mode. No cause of death has been made public at the time of this article’s publication.

Depeche Mode as a band originated in the late 1970s when schoolmates Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke began playing music together. When Martin Gore entered the fold the trio became a synth group who called themselves Composition of Sound. When the group’s final piece was added, David Gahan, who sang vocals, the band officially renamed themselves Depeche Mode.

While Fletcher sometimes understated his contributions to the band, as evident by a line he said in D.A. Pennebaker’s 1989 doc, “Martin’s the songwriter, Alan [Wilder]’s the good musician, Dave’s the vocalist, and I bum around,” he was often credited by his fellow band members as being key to their success, acting as a kind of glue that would be whatever they needed him to be.

Andy Fletcher is survived by his partner Gráinne Mullan, who he met on 16 January 1993, and their two children, Megan and Joe.

“We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy “Fletch” Fletcher.

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.

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Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy in this difficult time.”

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