Biography
Andy Rourke (born Andrew Michael Rourke in Manchester on 17 January 1964; died 19 May 2023) was an English musician remembered as the bassist of The Smiths and for his melodic approach to bass playing. He later co-founded Freebass and subsequently D.A.R.K..
Leaving school when he was 15, Rourke passed through a series of menial jobs and played guitar and bass in various rock bands, as well as in the short-lived funk band Freak Party, with his schoolfriend Johnny Marr.
When Marr later teamed up with Morrissey to form The Smiths, Rourke joined after the band's first gig and remained through most of its existence.
Rourke formed Freebass with bass players Mani (ex-The Stone Roses) and Peter Hook (ex-New Order) in 2007 and remained active in the group until August 2010.
Early in 2009, he moved to New York City where he had a programme on East Village Radio and worked as a club DJ with Olé Koretsky under the name Jetlag. This led to Rourke and Koretsky forming the band D.A.R.K. with singer Dolores O'Riordan (from The Cranberries). The trio released their debut album, Science Agrees, on 9 September 2016.
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