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Fans mourn the death of Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher from Depeche Mode

Yes drummer Alan White also dies

By Paul Sinclair

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34

Andy Fletcher (on the right) had died aged 60

Depeche Mode fans are in shock with the announcement late yesterday that band member Andy Fletcher had died, aged only 60. No cause of death has been released.

In a statement, the band said:

“We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy “Fletch” Fletcher.

Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cold pint.

Our hearts are with his family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy in this difficult time”.

A founding member of Depeche Mode, and keyboard (and bass) player, Fletch along with Martin Gore and Dave Gahan was one of the three original members still in the group. Their last album was 2017’s Spirit.

With the early departure of Vince Clark (in 1981) and Alan Wilder quitting in 1995, that now only leaves Gore and Gahan to fly the flag for Depeche Mode. With this devastating news, questions will be asked over the band’s future, although it’s true that Gore and Gahan come up with most of the material, these days.

In a dark Thursday, Yes drummer Alan White also passed away at the age of 72. In a six-decade career he had played with some greats, including two Beatles (John Lennon and George Harrison). White joined Yes in July 1972 and so was the longest continuously serving band member.

Rest in Peace Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher and Alan White (and Ray Liotta who also died yesterday aged 67).

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34 Comments

34 thoughts on “Fans mourn the death of Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher from Depeche Mode”

  1. With Alan being the longest serving member of Yes still with the band at the time of his death, one has to wonder if they should carry on. Wonder who will fill in the forthcoming shows?

  2. I am enormously sad and stunned. It is hard to explain, but it is of course what everyone is feeling now. A mixture of incredulousness for the loss of someone we have grown up “with” and the simultaneous feeling, for some reason, that DM cannot carry on as a duo.
    And I see that the thought of a reunion is equally diffused.
    I too think that a tribute tour is out of the question and does not “feel” right. But I immediately had an image and a desire of Clarke and Wilder coming back in the studio, Gore’ s and Gahan’ s egos permitting (without Fletch it will be now very hard to mediate and sort anything out peacefully and with a smile…), for an album dedicated to their friend of a lifetime.
    A serious effort, musically and even visually, without the now mediocre artwork of Corbijn (the Violator zenith is very far away in the mists of time) and without ironical pictures (the vests, the drag, the choppers, the oversize leather coats), but serious, soft black and white images like in the old days. In order to probably close the Depeche Mode story for good.
    Gore and Gahan solo careers may go on, since with their animosity they have appeared to long for that for so many years. There you go. You have the chance now.
    Goodbye Fletch. In 2004 I drove almost three hours to Vicenza to see Sarah live again with Client. You were accompanying them on that tour with your DJ set in order to call as much audience as possible for them, and would have appeared after the gig. But the show was enormously delayed, and finished well past 1.00, and I had to drive back home for another three hours under a deluge… I saw you a few metres away, preparing the records behind the decks, with some fans already approaching you with CDs to be signed. But I could not stay more. I regret not having at least tried to say hello to you.
    Thanks for the music and the memories.
    Cris

    1. Never say never. Lou Reed and John Cale got together to record Songs For Drella as a tribute to Andy Warhol, despite previous (and immediately subsequent) animosity. Some things transcend individual grievances

  3. Can we also spare a thought for Cathal Coughlan of Microdisney and Fatima Mansions fame who also passed away earlier this week. A truly horrible seven days… R.I.P. to all three.

  4. DM have a huge following of dedicated and passionate fans who would really like to pay their RIP respects to Fletch.So I hope after they have all recovered from the grief of it all they can assemble Alan Wilder and Vince Clarke,construct a set list of only the DM songs that Fletch liked the most,and just do a mini -tour in SOLE tribute to him.Just to celebrate the fact Fletch was important to all the fans of the band aswell as to his nearest and dearest!

    1. I can’t see that happening well maybe Vince joining them for a few gigs but Wilder is a bit of a stretch.
      Personally I find the idea of tribute gigs a bit cringey although can see why fans might want to send him off as it were.

  5. A lovely touch from Pet Shop Boys on tour last night as they dedicated ‘Being Boring’ to Andy – because the song is about memories and people no longer here. An almighty cheer from the crowd.

    1. Beautiful. I saw the Pet Shop Boys gig the other night in Cardiff – absolutely stunning staging, lighting, performance etc. They dedicated Being Boring that night basically to all the people lost to COVID – and as someone who lost someone close to the evil virus, I was in tears. Obviously , as a (perfect) song about losing a friend to AIDS, it speaks to anyone suffering loss – just one of the most moving songs ever recorded. Never fails to send a shiver up my spine. Thanks Neil and Chris for one of the greatest gigs I’m sure I’ll have ever been to.
      And thanks Fletch for contributing to another of the greatest bodies of electronic music ever created in Depeche Mode, that’s brought me immense pleasure and consolation over the years – you will be sorely missed. RIP.

    1. Yes it is obviously bad news but I can’t see why Dave and Martin won’t or shouldn’t carry on.
      Not meaning to sound harsh but Fletch didn’t actually contribute musically to the latter era DM (outside of live performances) he was more a manager of the band than anything.
      Also a lot of fans would be very disappointed if they called it a day not that that should factor in to an incredibly dire time for the remaining members and family.

      1. As a HUGE DM fan since Dreaming Of Me,I don’t see any reason or logic for Dave and Martin to go on really,the spirit and the sound and the feel of DM has been long gone.and to be honest their last few records always seemed to me more like a an excuse to cash on huge tours,the creative output feeling more and more bleak and them not being to interested in the effort. I have been saying for years the best thing they could do creatively is disband and concentrate on their solo projects.now without Fletch I really don’t see the other two being able to work together on a full album and/or tour that’s going to feel like dragging a carcass all over the world.
        Better to call it quits and leave their huge legacy as it is. It’s not as if they need the money after all so why leave the fans with a bitter taste in our mouths.
        That’s jus my opinion anyway.

  7. Depeche Mode were a massive transition for me in the music I listened to. I literally bought Violator while I was waiting for a bus to a New Kids on the Block concert. I listened to it on my headphones on the ride, and by time I got to the venue, I wasn’t all that interested in NKOTB. I wanted more of what I had been listening to. I’ve followed the band every since. I hope they can still continue without him, but at the same time, Martin and Dave’s solo work, while good, never seems to stand up against what the band has done.

    Time to go listen to Black Celebration and mourn.

  8. The news about Andy Fletcher was a big shock. The latest news I read was that it was natural causes and happened at home.
    He was known as the business brain of Depeche Mode, no small feat for an internationally successful band. In terms of band cohesion it seems like he was the Ringo of the band, maybe underestimated by some but crucially important with a healthy sense of humour.
    60 is way too young and this would be devastating for his family, friends and DM.

  10. RIP Fletch!!

    What a shock when that came through last night it shocked me out of the blue. Whilst I’m not sure what he added to the band musically, there can be no denying his contribution to the band in everything else.

    I’m so sad today thinking of his bandmates & family I can’t put it into words.

    He will be greatly missed!

  11. While Yes were recording 90125 with Trevor Horn,Gary Langan and JJ sampled Alan’s drumming and gave us 2 classics,Close(to the edit)and Beatbox.RIP Alan and Andy.

  12. I know this might be completely irrelevant and potentially codswallop, but his Wiki page said he suffered a broken wrist last month in Barcelona and wonder if some sort of infection/sepsis set in as a result? As I say probably well wide of the mark but not impossible

  13. I can’t even process the news of Andy Fletcher’s passing – just took the legs out from underneath me. Depeche Mode have always been a huge part of my life. I don’t have many LP’s left in my collection since moving to CDs but still have my first MODE compilation album “People Are People” purchased new in 1984. It would take until March the next year before I saw them live at age 15…did my best another 11 times to see them whenever they came to Chicago.

  16. Yesterday evening was one of the biggest rollercoasters, after seeing the four members of ABBA reunited the news of Fletch’s passing was a real gut punch, followed seconds later by reading about Alan White. It was obviously on my mind when I went to bed as I ended up waking myself screaming at 1.30 this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep
    With regards to Fletch, to all those who have said “What did he do” you’ve missed point. He was the heart of the group, often acting as the peacemaker and go between. I really doubt that Depeche would have survived as long as they did without his intervention.
    I saw Yes a few years ago but sadly Alan was struggling with back problems but he did come on stage for the final song and got a standing ovation. I recently found a series of videos on YouTube of the recording sessions for Going for the one which are worth watching, although they are not very PC!
    RIP Andy and Alan.

    1. I think it is in bad taste to say “what did he do” true but still think the band can and should carry on if they want to that is. I often wonder if the Prodigy will record another album but that is a different scenario as Keith was such an integral part of the band albeit Liam wrote all the music. I would imagine though in both band’s cases live it would be difficult those first few gigs without their bandmate.
      If a frontman goes though it’s obviously a different thing, I honestly could not listen to any Queen live or otherwise after Freddie went, it just seemed like please stop. But then you have bands like AC/DC who obviously went from strength to strength but then they didn’t have a massive back catalogue at the time unlike Queen.

  19. I fear Dave Gahan will take this news very badly as Fletch was meant to be the clean-living healthiest member of the band with none of the self-destructive habits he had.Fletch also helped Dave overcome some of his demons in the early 90’s.As the only member who wrote none of the songs he was also the main critique of all their demos and had a casting vote on literally which songs made it into the lp’s.He also mediated in disputes between Martin and Dave preventing them form ever escalating.Though many think he did nothing significant in the band he always attended every minute of all recording sessions and helped shape the final sound and arrangement of every recorded song.He also never missed performing in a single DM show as far as I am aware. So he put in the same hours of effort as both the other members.Literally nothing was done in DM without his attendance and he had an equal share in every thing the DM commercial entity did.He was not a lesser partner in DM incorporated as some might to think.

    Both Foo Fighters and Depeche Mode have lost important squad members to premature deaths.Whether this effects these band’s futures is not yet known.

    Both sad and shocking that tons of famous people folk know of and like are dying way before pension age.Do not know much about his personal life but those closest to him must be devastated.I fell sad for them!RIP Fletch!

    1. Very well said, a band is not just about who writes the material, it’s also about those who keeps the band together. The member who heals the rifts, plays the material in a certain way, the one that filters out the good material from the bad. The one who is the sounding board for ideas and the one who is there through thick and thin. The real fans who who these folks are. Often they do get over looked in the media. However they are the ones that often leave the biggest hole in a band when they leave or pass.

  21. Still in shock. We’ve lost some incredible artists over recent years but as a massive Mode fan for the last 37 years (!) this one has really hit home. I actually met Fletch a couple of times and he was a lovely bloke. RIP Fletch

  22. Depeche Mode are a band I grew up with. From buying “New Life” for 45p, ex-chart, in Woolworths in the summer of 1981 when I was 9. By the time of “See You” I was buying all their new releases on the day they came out. Although I can’t say much of their post-Ultra stuff sticks in my mind, I thought Spirit was their best effort since then.
    I think that’s an issue faced by so many long-standing bands. Early fans have been playing your stuff for decades and it can be difficult for the more recent material to get a look in.
    By all accounts Andy was a lovely friendly guy and 60 seems ridiculously young. RIP.

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