Perry Bamonte, the longtime guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, has died at the age of 65 after a short illness over Christmas, the band confirmed on their official website. Bamonte joined The Cure as a full-time member in 1990 after supporting the band since 1984, contributing guitar, bass, and keyboards on multiple albums and performing in over 400 shows until 2005. He rejoined the group in 2022 and played 90 additional live shows with the goth rock legends – which the statement refers to as “some of the best in the band’s history” – culminating in his final performance celebrating the release of the Cure’s first new album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World, at the Troxy in London on November 1, 2024. Remembered as a crucial and innovative part of the band’s legacy, Bamonte was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Cure in 2019. “Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story,” reads the band’s tribute to their late bandmate, which concludes, “Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.” (Consequence of Sound)