Andy Fletcher of Depech Mode Died Today

Oops, left the E off *Depeche* Mode.

He’ll enjoy the silence.

Well shitballs, this sucks. First Ray Liotta and now Fletch? What the hell?

Not in the news yet and no word about what he died of.

You know it comes in threes. Who’s next? Donald Trump?

Depeche Mode.

It's on Depeche Mode's official twitter.

Did he partake of the Strange Love?

Goddamnit. Depeche Mode is my favorite group. Two good guys in one day, innocent people getting mowed down everywhere…we really need to lose some evil Repukes to get the balance right

Great photo.

R9 I saw and appreciated what you did there.

[quote] You know it comes in threes. Who’s next?

Alan White, the drummer for Yes, also died today.

Damn.

(weird that their photo is of Gahan, tho)

I love Depeche Mode. What is going on lately? I did not expect Fletch to be the first to go. Gahan is the one with the drug and alcohol issues.

This really makes death feel closer.

R2, you do realize there is something after this right. Our souls are eternal?

I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours but I think that God's got a sick sense of humour...for taking Fletch while Ted Cruz still breathes.

R16 Lol - yes, of course! Also, the tooth fairy said to tell you heyyyyy

R16, I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours, but ....

R18, LOL. I understand in this monstrous world it is easy to be cynical, but I am serious. You will see one day hopefully before you die because it will affect your manifestation into a higher being. God bless, and have a great day.

LOL R17 beat me to it!

"Fletcher also had the unofficial title of tiebreaker in the event of Gore and Gahan coming to creative loggerheads."

[quote] “Most of the time we sort of agree with each other,” Fletcher told Rolling Stone France in 2017. “But we also have this golden rule that if Martin, Dave or myself really is against something, we would agree with that [tiebreaker]… It’s a team thing.”

Death is everywhere, R16, there are flies on the windscreen for a start.

R15 I know what you mean. 52 here and 60 is way too young, too close for comfort. HUGS

I realize I posted my statement with a question mark by mistake. It's not a question but a fact.

OUR SOULS ARE ETERNAL.

[quote] This really makes death feel closer.

I’m 55, and me too. It’s just going to get worse, watching more and more performers who aren’t old (by our standards, anyway) dying.

I wonder if people get used to this by age 70 or 80?

[quote] I love Depeche Mode. What is going on lately? I did not expect Fletch to be the first to go. Gahan is the one with the drug and alcohol issues.

Life is really a crapshoot, isn’t it? I had the same thought. I hope he won’t be triggered into relapsing by this.

R25 Bless your heart. Good for you!

Sad day 😔

[quote] you do realize there is something after this right.

I, myself, do not. Link please.

[quote] Gahan is the one with the drug and alcohol issues.

I believe Gahan has been sober for about 25 years now. His other health scare since then was the bladder cancer about 11 years ago.

Did they say how he died?

I know he smoked.

I saw them in concert. Dave sounds amazing in concert. Andy was quite boring actually. He just stood on stage for 2 hours. did not move or nothing.

Always mystified by this song.

Haven't followed DM for about 3 decades now but for about 4 years of my teenage life, I was nuts about them. Guess we are now in the time where music idols from the 80s are going to be springing their mortal coils. Out of all the new wave and post punk guys, Fletcher would not have been my bet for one of the first to go. 60 is young.

Reading reddit and someone mentioned that they had spent time with Fletcher at the local pub earlier this week. So it's not likely due to some long illness.

Wiki has a link to an article in the Independent UK (behind paywall) about Fletcher having serious depression in the 90s that led to a full nervous breakdown in 1994.

Yeah, that was an awful time for them. Dave was hooked on heroin. Martin was an alcoholic, Andy had a nervous breakdown and Alan was fed up and quit.

[quote] He just stood on stage for 2 hours. did not move or nothing.

Maybe he was already dead!

Didn’t Dave survive a speedball?

Yeah, Dave said he was dead for few minutes. I don't know medically if that is accurate but he made the news with at least one od and an attempted suicide.

This sucks. DM was one of my bands. I’m the almost the same age. And it happened before a reunion album with Alan Wilder. 😢😢😢😢

R39 Yes. This collection of local news reports recaps it and him going through rehab.

I listened to Depeche Mode and heard almost every album up through Exciter beofre I started losing interest. This is such a bummer.

The true end of an era for millennials and Gen Xers who loved Depeche Mode. I mean, I’m sure they can go out without him, but he was such a permanent fixture in the band since the 80s.

Poor Fletch!

[quote] but he was such a permanent fixture in the band since the 80s.

A permanent fixture that frequently had people questioning, exactly what does he do?

RIP, brother. Hoist one with Ray, huh?

So sad. I love Depeche Mode. Truly iconic group. I am glad I got to see them perform couple of years ago.

They say "natural causes", but who dies of natural causes at age 60?!?

He's just gotten enough.

R47, I knew two men who died of heart attacks before age 50. One had abused steroids in his late teens/early 20s and I suspect cocaine abuse in the other though I can’t prove it.

Dropped fucking dead.

I don't consider those "natural causes", do you? Dying in your sleep is one thing. Dying of a heart-attack is a different thing.

I think he was drank to deal with anxiety and became addicted for a while. I saw pictures of him smoking during the last tour, just before the pandemic.

Sad, but at least he’ll get to meet his personal Jesus.

Depeche Mode are a group I've really grown up with. New Life was one of the first records I bought and I think since See You in 1982 I've bought every one the day it came out. 60 is ridiculously young. RIP Fletch.

Play 80s Heardle today.

He was a smoker. My grandfather nearly died of a massive heart attack at 60 after years of smoking.

depechemode---We wanted to take a moment and acknowledge the outpouring of love for Andy that we’ve seen from all of you over the last few weeks. It’s incredible to see all of your photos, to read your words, and to see how much Andy meant to all of you. As you can imagine, it’s been a strange, sad, disorienting few weeks for us here, to say the least. But we’ve seen and felt all of your love and support, and we know that Andy’s family has too.

A couple weeks ago we received the result from the medical examiners, which Andy’s family asked us to share with you now. Andy suffered an aortic dissection while at home on May 26. So, even though it was far, far too soon, he passed naturally and without prolonged suffering.

We had a celebration of Andy’s life in London last week, which was a beautiful ceremony and gathering with a few tears, but filled with the great memories of who Andy was, stories of all of our times together, and some good laughs. Andy was celebrated in a room full of many of his friends and family, our immediate DM family, and so many people who have touched Andy’s and our lives throughout the years. All being together was a very special way to remember Andy and see him off.

So thank you for all of the love you’ve shown Andy and his family and friends over the last few weeks. It honestly means the world to all of us. Andy, you’ll be missed, but certainly not forgotten.

R52 Reach out, touch faith

Far too young but at least it was quick and painless. I looked up aortic dissection and it is very sudden.

I shed a single tear when I got to the end with Martin and Dave listed. It was sad and shocking to hear the news of his passing but I wasn't particularly emotional. I loved dm for a good part of my adolescence but stopped following them by 1993. But today's message made me emotional, I guess more for the general passage of time. I'm old and my teen idols are even older or dead.

I Feel You.

The grabbing hands grab all they can All for themselves, after all The grabbing hands grab all they can All for themselves, after all It's a competitive world Everything counts in large amounts

The graph on the wall Tells the story of it all Picture it now, see just how The lies and deceit gained a little more power Confidence taken in By a suntan and a grin

Goodbye Fletch. You are missed.