Moments before playing a show in the UK, the bassist of the group Happy Mondays and brother of Shaun Ryder, died suddenly.
Happy Mondays bassist and brother to Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, who died this Friday (7/15). The musician was found lifeless just hours before the band played at the Kubix Festival in Sunderland, England, aged 58.
According to preliminary information, the cause of death has not yet been released. Brothers Shaun and Paul were the original founders of Happy Mondays. The band made a point of paying tribute to the bassist with a tribute on Facebook.
“The Ryder family and Happy Mondays band members are deeply saddened and shocked to say that Paul Ryder passed away this morning. A true pioneer and legend. He will be missed forever. We thank you for respecting the privacy of everyone involved at this time.”
Fans and showbiz stars left their condolences in the messages. The band Fat Cops also mourned on Twitter. “RIP Paul Ryder, who was a good friend to us when we went on tour with the Happy Mondays. Bassist from hell,” and Oasis founding member Paul Arthurs shared the “sad news.”
Paul did not hide his battle with drug addiction, in the early years of his career he used heroin. In 2014, the artist treated his 16-year-old son’s cancer with cannabis.
At the time, he revealed to MailOnline what the treatment was like. “I found myself teaching him how to inhale cannabis vapor from a vaping machine. It was surreal, but it worked brilliantly and gave him instant relief. My drug problems were well documented. I almost lost my life. But now they are being used to help Chico.”
When he left the band, Paul dedicated himself to different things: he composed music for television programs, he made an album with the Big Arm group, he was an international DJ, a programmer, and even an actor. Ryder was born in 1964 in Salford and his contact with music came in a self-taught way. According to The Guardian, it was not until late in his career that he began to differentiate the notes of the guitar: “I called them the thick one and the one below the thickest”, the artist had declared.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
