Tributes continue to pour in for the Crumpsall-born musician
Left to right: Mani’s step-sister Michelle; Mani; cousin David; step-brother John; brother Greg; and step-brother Rick(Image: John Barlow)
One of the step-brothers of Stone Roses legend Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield has spoken of his heartbreak. Tributes continue to pour in for the Crumpsall-born musician following his death aged 63.
The iconic bass player – who lived in Heaton Moor, Stockport – rose to fame after joining the seminal outfit in the 1980s. Playing on both the Stone Roses’ albums, Mani was in the band until it disbanded in 1996, later joining Primal Scream.
In 2011, he announced he had left Bobby Gillespie’s clan to reform the Roses. Massive reunion shows followed at Heaton Park in 2012. The lads went on to perform at festivals across the UK and the world before playing The Etihad and Madison Square Garden in the US in 2016.
In a Facebook post on Thursday (November 20), brother Greg wrote: “IT IS WITH THE HEAVIEST OF HEARTS THAT I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE THE SAD PASSING OF MY BROTHER GARY MANI MOUNFIELD. RIP RKID.”
Within minutes, tributes flooded in from friends and family – and across the music world. Hundreds of people offered words of support to Greg and his loved ones.
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield at V Festival, 2012(Image: PA)
The heartbreaking news came almost two years to the day since Mani’s wife Imelda’s tragic death. She passed away in November 2023 following a three-year battle with bowel cancer. The couple had twin boys – Gene and George, 12.
Greg and Mani’s step-brother John Barlow posted on Facebook: “Absolutely devastated to hear of the sudden passing of my step-brother Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield. Having recently lost his wife Imelda it now leaves the two boys without a mum or dad. My thoughts are with his brother Greg and the boys, absolutely tragic.”
John, who lives in Middleton, told the Manchester Evening News Mani ‘never changed’. Along with brother Rick and sister Michelle, he spent many happy childhood days with Mani and Greg.
John, who shared a touching photograph of the five of them as kids in Wales, spoke of the unwavering support his step-sibling offered family members in times of need. He told of Mani’s down to earth nature, despite being a massive figure in Manchester and beyond.
Gary, Greg and John(Image: John Barlow)
“He stayed the same person from being a kid,” John, 63, said. “Other people think they have ‘star status’, he stayed himself… that laugh, that smile, the unique way he talked.
“As someone who knew him before the Stone Roses, I can say that. We – me, my brother and sister, all three – stayed with them as kids. He was always the same person.
“He always stayed grounded, regardless of finding fame. He always helped where he could and went above and beyond.”
The North West Ambulance Service confirmed paramedics were called to a home in Heaton Moor on Thursday morning. “Emergency crews attended a private address at 10.42am,” a spokesperson said.
The cause of Mani’s death has not yet been made public. Police are not believed to have attended. A GMP spokesperson confirmed his death was ‘non-suspicious’.