‘His legacy will live on forever’
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield playing bass for The Stone Roses.(Image: Getty Images)
As Manchester and music world continue to come to terms with the sudden news of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield’s passing, musicians who shared the stage with him, and others who admired, his talent have paid tribute to the ‘greatest bassist of all time’.
The Crumpsall native’s death was announced on Thursday afternoon by his brother Greg on Facebook. It came almost two years to the day since he lost his wife Imelda to cancer, a milestone Mani acknowledged on his own social media account earlier this week.
Mani rose to fame after joining The Stone Roses in the 1980s.
Playing on both of the band’s albums, Mounfield remained within the foursome until they disbanded in 1996, later joining Primal Scream. In 2011, he announced that he had left Primal Scream to reform the Stone Roses for a reunion tour.
Just last week, the 63-year-old told fans he would be embarking on a UK-wide speaking tour that would see him travel to all corners of the country throughout late 2026 and early 2027.
In a caption posted alongside the announcement, Mani wrote: “Anybody wanting to hear slaggings off of bandmates … or titbits of dirt, conjecture & gossip…. I’m not that guy… I will be giving my skewed vision of my own life, I never did, and would never rat on my comrades… hope you come out and say hello.”
Since the tragic news broke, an outpouring of love for the lifelong Manchester United supporter has dominated Instagram and Twitter feeds.
(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Amongs the messages of sympathy and condolences for his family, some of the most renowned musicians in the business shared their admiration and respect for Mani’s talent.
Oasis singer Liam Gallagher led the musical tributes, describing Mani as “my hero”. Liam added: “In total shock and absolutely devastated on hearing the news about Mani. RIP R Kid.”
The Stone Roses posted on social media: “RIP our wonderful brother Mani. The greatest bass player and friend we could ever have wished for. X”
The band’s singer Ian Brown also paid his own tribute on X, writing: “REST IN PEACE MANi X”, while Paul Weller called him “a true one-off”.
Richard Ashcroft of The Verve, called the bassist “one of the loveliest positive musicians to spend time with”, noting that he was “a key element to the band that inspired me to believe I could do this music thing”.
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He added that Mani “had the style the swagger and the sound but most importantly a warm heart”.
Liam Fray of The Courteeners said he was “absolutely devastated to hear the news”, adding: “This is what true sadness feels like. Everyone who knew you will miss you so much.”
The lead singer of The Charlatans, Tim Burgess, re-posted a picture of the pair together that he had originally shared last week, on Mani’s 63rd birthday.
“One of the absolute best in every way,” Burgess wrote. “Such a beautiful friend.”
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Bury band Elbow wrote: “Mani was our hero. Then he was our mate. He always used your name a lot when talking to you.
“One of the many things that made you glow when you’d been in his company. And he had the best stories because he forgot nothing. He never stopped being our hero. Never will. Elbow x”
Another bass player, Simone Butler – who replaced Mani in Primal Scream – offered that “the moment u met Mani u loved him”, for having “the most brilliant and wickedly sharp sense of humour and the biggest heart and generosity”.
Liam Walsh, a Manchester-based music publicist and friend, said he was “in shock” after hearing the news on his way to a music industry event.
“As I walked in, the Stone Roses’ Fools Gold, with that famous bassline of his, was playing in the bar. His legacy will live on forever.”