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Former bandmate Johnny Marr revealed that Rourke's death comes after a "lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer"Andy Rourke, bassist for The Smiths, has died. He was 59. Rourke’s death was announced today (May 19) by former bandmate Johnny Marr on social media. Per Marr’s statement, Rourke died following “a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer”. Marr also paid tribute to his former bandmate, writing: “Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans.” Rourke was best known for being the main bassist for The Smiths between 1982...

Adam Schlesinger, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” has died as a result of coronavirus complications, Variety has confirmed. He was 52. Schlesinger died Wednesday morning. He was divorced and is survived by two daughters. He had previously been reported Tuesday morning as “very sick and heavily sedated” by his attorney of 25 years, Josh Grier. He had been in an upstate New York hospital for more than a week at that time, Grier said. An EGOT contender, Schlesinger has been nominated...

Anti-Bush tracks among masters on hard drive that are taken The Department of Homeland Security may be substantially hipper than previously known. Chris Walla, the guitarist and producer for indie rock legends Death Cab for Cutie, says border guards seized a computer drive containing the master tracks for his upcoming solo album last month when a courier tried to deliver it to Seattle-based Barsuk Records from a studio in Vancouver, B.C. "I don't know what red flag could possibly have gone up at the border," Walla said Wednesday in a phone interview from Portland. Walla said he had been working...