The Cure guitarist Perry Bamonte has died at the age of 65

Perry Bamonte – a longtime guitarist and keyboardist of The Cure – has passed away… the band announced on Friday.

The group shared the sad news on their official website… revealing that Bamonte passed away at his home after a brief illness over Christmas.

The post describes Bamonte as “quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and wildly creative”… and calls him an integral part of the band’s story.

Perry began traveling with The Cure in 1984 as a roadie and personal assistant Robert Smith and also as a guitar technician.

Keyboardist Roger O’Donnell left the band in 1990 – and Bamonte quit – regularly playing both keyboard and guitar.

Bamonte was let go from the group by Smith in 2005…but the two remained on good terms…and in 2022 he returned to tour with The Cure. In 2019, Bamonte and the rest of The Cure were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

He was 65.