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The Cure Guitarist & Keyboardist Perry Bamonte Passes Away, Aged 65

Tyler Jenke

“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of the Cure story," the band wrote in a statement.

The Cure
The Cure(Credit: Tom Pallant)
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Perry Bamonte, the longtime guitarist and keyboardist for English outfit The Cure, has passed away at the age of 65.

News of Bamonte’s passing was confirmed by the group in a message posted to their website overnight.

“It 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,” they wrote.

“Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of the Cure story.”

Born in London in 1960, Bamonte's brother Daryl had worked alongside acts such as The Cure and Depeche Mode, eventually becoming the road manager for the latter and being dubbed the band's fifth member.

Through his brother's connections, Bamonte became The Cure's guitar tech and a personal assistant for founder, guitarist, and vocalist Robert Smith, officially joining the group following the initial departure of Roger O'Donnell.

“Looking after the band from 1984 through 1989, he became a full time member of The Cure in 1990,” the band’s statement continued, “Playing guitar, six-string bass and keyboard on the Wish, Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, Acoustic Hits and The Cure albums, as well as performing more than 400 shows over 14 years.

“He rejoined The Cure in 2022, playing another 90 shows, some of the best in the band’s history, culminating with the Show Of A Lost World concert in London 1st November 2024,” they added.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family.”

Bamonte performed with The Cure from 1990 until 2005, at which point Smith dismissed both he and O'Donnell (who had rejoined the band in 1995) with the intent of continuing the group as a trio.

While O'Donnell would again become part of The Cure in 2011, Bamonte did not rejoin until 2022. During his time away from the veteran outfit, the multi-instrumentalist would join the group Love Amongst Ruin, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019 for his contributions to The Cure.

Despite having become a member of The Cure again in 2022, Bamonte was not part of the recording sessions for their 2024 album, Songs Of A Lost World, which had wrapped five years earlier.