Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65

NEW YORK (AP) — Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band The Cure, has died. He was 65. The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday. "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," the band wrote. "Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, 'Teddy' was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story," the statement continued. "Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed." 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'Donnell 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 "Disintegration," Bamonte is featured on a number of The Cure's albums, including 1992's "Wish" — which features the career-defining hits ″Friday I'm in Love″ and "High" — as well as the 1996's "Wild Mood Swings," 2000's "Bloodflowers" 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 inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 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, "Songs of a Lost World." The concert was filmed for "The Cure: The Show of a Lost World," a film released in cinemas globally this month. It is also available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD. The Associated Press described "Songs of a Lost World" as "lush and deeply orchestral, swelling and powerful" — one of the best of the band's career.