Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, the modest, bespectacled, red-headed pianist who contributed synth tones to Depeche Mode classics like “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Personal Jesus” for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 60.
Fletcher died of natural causes at his home in the United Kingdom on Thursday, according to a source close to the band. Because they were not permitted to speak publicly, the source spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“With the untimely departure of our beloved friend, family member, and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, we are horrified and overcome with enormous sadness,” the band stated in a statement. “Fletch had a true gold heart and was always there for you when you needed support, a good laugh, or a cold pint.”
Fletcher, along with fellow synthesizer players Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, and lead singer Dave Gahan, created the trio that would become British electro-pop giants in Basildon, England, in 1980.
A year later, the band would break out with their debut album “Speak and Spell,” which opened with the minor hit “New Life” and finished with “Just Can’t Get Enough,” one of the band’s most enduring singles.
After the album, Clarke would depart the band and be replaced by Alan Wilder.
With “Some Great Reward” and the single “People Are People” in 1984, the group achieved international fame, and their popularity grew throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
How Did Andy Fletcher Die?
Depeche Mode’s official social media pages reported the death of founding member Fletcher. Fletcher died of natural causes at his home in the United Kingdom on Thursday, according to a source close to the band.
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