Alongside Ian Brown, John Squires, and Alan “Reni” Wen, Mounfield was a founding member of the seminal Madchester rock band before joining Primal Scream.

Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the Stone Roses bassist, dies at 63

Alongside Ian Brown, John Squires, and Alan "Reni" Wen, Mounfield was a founding member of the seminal Madchester rock band before joining Primal Scream.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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November 20, 2025 1:14 p.m. ET

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The Stones Roses' Gary 'Mani' Mounfield. Credit:

Graham Knowles/Redferns

Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, a founding member and bassist for Stone Roses, who later joined Primal Scream, has died. He was 63.

The musician's brother, Greg Mounfield, announced his death in an emotional Thursday Facebook post, writing, "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother."

Mounfield's Roses bandmate Ian Brown also mourned the rocker, posting on X, "Rest in peace, Mani."

Several other musicians who crossed paths with Mounfield or admired his work paid tribute to the musician. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher posted, "In total shock and absolutely devastated on hearing the news about Mani. My hero. RIP, R Kid."

The Stones Roses' Gary 'Mani' Mounfield.

Steve Catlin/Redferns

Tim Burgess of U.K. act the Charlatans called him "one of the absolute best in every way — such a beautiful friend," while Rowetta of the group Happy Mondays wrote, "Going to miss you so much."

Mounfield's death comes after his wife, Imelda Mounfield, died in November 2023, three years after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The couple have twin boys, who were born in 2013.

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Born on Nov. 16, 1962, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, Mounfield left school at 16 to help form the psychedelic indie-rock band the Stone Roses. Initially playing under the name the Fireside Chaps, the group comprised Mounfield, John Squire, and Andy Couzens. Within a few years, they took on Ian Brown as their new frontman.

Eventually, Couzens left the group and Alan "Reni" Wren joined, completing the foursome — with Mani on bass, Brown on vocals, Squire on guitar, and Reni on drums. Together, the band was at the forefront of the "Madchester" music scene of the late 1980s and early 90s.

Their self-titled debut album, which hit shelves in 1989, was a breakthrough. Combining influences across punk, indie, dance, funk, and rock, the record featured such classic songs as "I Wanna Be Adored," "She Bangs the Drums," "Made of Stone," and "I Am the Resurrection." The band was eager to capitalize on their success by signing with a major label, but they instead became embroiled in a lengthy dispute with their label, Silvertone, who would not let them out of their contract.

The Stone Roses members John Squire, Ian Brown, Alan 'Reni' Wren, and Gary 'Mani' Mounfield.

Mike Prior/Getty

They eventually signed with a new label in 1991 and released their follow-up LP, *Second Coming, *three years later. The record rocketed to the top 5 in the U.K. but arrived to mixed reviews. They split up in 1996.

Mani subsequently joined the Scottish psychedelic-rock band Primal Scream, playing on several of their records, including 1997's *Vanishing Point*, 2000's *XTRMNTR*, 2002's *Evil Heat*, 2006's *Riot City Blues*, and 2008's *Beautiful Future*. He stayed with the group through 2012, when the Stone Roses reformed.

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The reunited outfit played a number of shows after their comeback, but they never released another record. Instead, they debuted just two new songs, "All for One" and "Beautiful Thing." They disbanded once more in 2017 after old tensions resurfaced. Their performance at Glasgow's Hampden Park ended up being the classic lineup's last concert. During the show, Brown told the crowd: "Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened."

Mounfield's death comes after he announced an in-conversation tour of U.K. venues, in which he would have recounted his experiences with the Stone Roses and Primal Scream. It was set to kick off in September 2026.**

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