The Manchester band's bassist was found lifeless just before he and his brother/bandmate Shaun Ryder were due to take to the stage at the Kubix Festival in Sunderland.
- July 16, 2022
AceShowbiz - Happy Mondays star Paul Ryder has died at the age of 57. The Manchester band's bassist, who was also the brother of fellow founder Shaun Ryder, was found dead just before they were due to take to the stage at the Kubix Festival in Sunderland.
The cause of Ryder's death is currently unknown. Though grateful for any and all well wishes, his family are "deeply saddened and shocked" by his passing.
Happy Mondays, which originally was made up of Paul, Shaun, Gary Whelan on drums, Paul Davis on keyboard and Mark "Bez" Day on guitar, wrote on Facebook post, "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 forever missed," the band continued expressing their grief over the sudden loss. "We thank you for respecting the privacy of all concerned at this time."
Dave Haslam, a journalist and former DJ at The Hacienda, the iconic Manunican venue, paid tribute to "top fella" Paul, who had previously struggled with heroin misuse. He tweeted, "Really very sorry to hear of the death of Paul Ryder - he made a massive contribution to Happy Mondays and was good company and a top fella RIP #PaulRyder."
Lee Rourke, the editor of 3:AM magazine tweeted, "RIP Paul Ryder. Absolutely gutted about this. What a talented musician and legend." The band Fat Cops added, "RIP Paul Ryder, who was a good friend to us when we toured with Happy Mondays. Hell of a bass player."
