Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, Stone Roses and Primal Scream Bassist, Dead at 63

Gary “Mani” Mounfield, bassist for the Stone Roses and Primal Scream, has died. The musician’s cause of death was not announced. He was 63.

The musician’s brother Greg Mounfield confirmed Mani’s death in a statement on Facebook. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother,” he wrote, adding that Gary has been “reunited” with his late wife Imelda, mother of the couple’s twin sons, who died of cancer in 2023.

Ian Brown, singer of the Stone Roses, wrote: “REST IN PEACE MANI X” on social media, while the Charlatans’ Tim Burgess said: “I shared this photo a week or so ago on Mani’s birthday – It never failed to bring a smile to my face — and that was exactly the same for the man himself. One of the absolute best in every way — such a beautiful friend Love you Mani x x Never to be forgotten.” Oasis’ Liam Gallagher voiced his appreciation of Mounfield on X: “IN TOTAL SHOCK AND ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED ON HEARING THE NEWS ABOUT MANI MY HERO RIP RKID LG”

The bassist, born Gary Michael Mounfield in Manchester on Nov. 16, 1962, replaced original Stone Roses bassist Andy Couzens in 1987, just in time to record “Elephant Stone,” the band’s breakthrough 1988 single, with them. Within the year, the band enjoyed a swift ascent to U.K. superstardom. A succession of singles, notably 1988’s “Fools Gold” and 1990’s “One Love,” established the Mancunians as hit makers with crossover appeal on the United States’ alternative charts.

Their debut album, The Stone Roses (1989), was an immediate hit, reaching Number 5 in the U.K., and eventually being certified five times platinum in the country by the BPI. Its blend of hummable vocals, jangly guitars that recalled their hometown heroes the Hollies, and a general hypnotic quality to their feel-good pop rock resonated with Manchester’s burgeoning rave scene. Frontman Ian Brown’s charisma fueled a string of hits in the country; all but four of its tracks came out as singles in England, and notably “Made of Stone,” “She Bangs the Drum,” and “Waterfall.” Mani’s expressive, serpentine bass fueled “Made of Stone” into a propulsive and urgent rock song. Despite the buzz, the record failed to make much of an impact in the U.S., largely because they didn’t tour the States.
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The group lost momentum in 1990 when it sued its original label, Silvertone, to sign a reported $4 million deal with Geffen in the U.S. The half a decade between The Stone Roses and their sophomore effort, Second Coming (1994), proved near fatal to the band, which failed to wow critics and fans alike with the new music. They also suffered from interviews in which they were dismissive of newer bands, like Oasis.

The band slowly broke up in the middle of the Nineties, when drummer Allen “Reni” Wren quit before a tour, and guitarist John Squire followed in 1996 to form the Seahorses. The band officially called it quits after a schlocky Reading Festival appearance.

After the Stone Roses, Mani joined Primal Scream from 1996 through 2011. He co-wrote the hit “Kowalski,” off Vanishing Point (1997), with the group, and wrote a string of singles that charted in the U.K. with the band. The charging country-tinged rocker “Country Girl,” off Riot City Blues, was the biggest hit of his era with the band, reaching Number 5 in the U.K. He also joined a supergroup of Manchester bassists, alongside Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order fame and former Smiths four-stringer Andy Rourke, called Freebass. They released an album, It’s a Beautiful Life, in 2010.

Mani reunited with the Stone Roses in 2011. They played Coachella in 2013 and stuck it out through 2017 when they played a final concert together in Glasgow. The band did not record a new album, only releasing two songs, “All for One” and “Beautiful Thing.”
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Mounfield was scheduled to begin a speaking tour of the U.K., in which he’d reflect on the “Madchester” scene and his career highlights, in September. Dates were set through June 2027.

In a 2000 interview with Guitar World, Mani explained the importance of what his instrument brought to his music. “Dance music is very bass driven,” he said. “With rock & roll you always get some shit-hot guitar player stealing everyone’s thunder, y’know? Bass is mega important — anyone who’s got an ounce of groove in them realizes that.”