Perry Bamonte, guitarist for The Cure, dies after “short illness” at 65

Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band The curedied. He was 65 years old.

The group announced his death on Friday on its official website.

“It is with immense sadness that we confirm the passing 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, steady and wildly creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm and vital part of The Cure’s history,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to his entire family. He will be greatly missed.”

Bamonte worked with the band in various roles from 1984 to 1989, including as a roadie and guitar technician. He officially joined the band in 1990, when keyboardist Roger O’Donnell left the group. It was then that he became a full-time member of the band, playing guitar, six-string bass and keyboard.

Having joined the group just after the group’s 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 1996’s “Wild Mood Swings”, 2000’s “Wild Mood Swings”. “Bloodflowers” and the 2004 self-titled release.

Bamonte was fired from The Cure by its singer and frontman, Robert Smith, in 2005. By that time, he had performed in more than 400 shows in 14 years. Bamonte has joined the band in recent years, touring with the band in 2022 for an additional 90 concerts.

In 2019, Bamonte was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the rest of The Cure. He joined The Cure on their North American tour in 2024, when the band reduced tickets to $20 after pledging to make shows affordable for fans following complaints about exorbitant fees. Singer Robert Smith said at the time that he was “sickened” by the Ticketmaster fee debacle.

His final performance with the band took place on November 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 theaters around the world this month. It is also available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD.