Andy Fletcher (musician)
Andrew John Fletcher (8 July 1961 – 26 May 2022),[2] also known as Fletch, was an English keyboard player and founding member of the electronic band Depeche Mode.[1] In 2020, he and the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3]
Andy Fletcher
Andrew John Fletcher
Fletch[1]
8 July 1961
Nottingham, England
Basildon, Essex, England
26 May 2022 (aged 60)
Brighton, East Sussex, England
- Musician
- DJ
- Synthesizer
- keyboards
- bass
- sampler
- guitar
1977–2022
- Mute
- Toast Hawaii
Early life[edit]
Fletcher was the eldest of four siblings born to Joy and John Fletcher.[4] The family moved to Basildon from Nottingham when he was two years old, when his father, an engineer, was offered a job at a cigarette factory.[5] He was active in the local Boys' Brigade from an early age, primarily to play football.[6]
Career[edit]
Depeche Mode[edit]
Fletcher, and acquaintances Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, were in their mid-teens when punk rock arrived on the music scene. Fletcher said this was "obviously the perfect age to experience it", noting that "we were very lucky in life".[7] Fletcher and Clarke formed the short-lived band No Romance in China, in which Fletcher played bass guitar.[8] In 1980, Fletcher, Clarke and Gore, the trio now all on synthesisers, formed another group called Composition of Sound.[9] Influences on their work included Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, Kraftwerk, the Human League and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).[7] Clarke served as chief songwriter and also provided lead vocals until singer Dave Gahan was recruited into the band later in 1980, after which they adopted the name Depeche Mode at Gahan's suggestion.[10] Clarke left the group in late 1981, shortly after the release of their debut album Speak & Spell.[9]
Death[edit]
Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, aged 60, following an aortic dissection while at home.[2][5][39] His bandmates Gahan and Gore stated, "we are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher".[1] Former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder stated that learning of Fletcher's death was "a real bolt from the blue".[40]
Lol Tolhurst of the Cure wrote, "I knew Andy and considered him a friend. We crossed many of the same pathways as younger men. My heart goes out to his family, bandmates, and DM fans. RIP Fletch."[40]
Pet Shop Boys stated, "We're saddened and shocked that Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died. Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also give sensible advice about the music business."[40]
Other artists who expressed condolences following Fletcher's death included OMD, Alison Moyet, Gary Numan and Erasure (the latter of whom was founded by former Depeche Mode bandmate Vince Clarke).[40]