Remembering Depeche Mode’s Keyboardist and Founding Member Andy “Fletch” Fletcher (1961-2022) – Music News

By Karen Beishuizen

Andy “Fletch” Fletcher
July 8, 1961 – May 26, 2022

Keyboardist and Founding Member of Depeche Mode dies aged 60.

Born in 1961 in Nottingham, he was the eldest of four siblings. He moved to Basildon when he was two years old. As a teenager he was influenced by bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Kraftwerk, Human League and OMD. Andy and his schoolmate Vince Clarke formed the band No Romance in China, but it was short-lived. He met Martin Gore in a pub in Basildon in 1980, and together with Vince they formed the band Composition of Sound. Along came Dave Gahan and the quartet was complete, changing their name to Depeche Mode.

Vince Clarke left to form Yazoo and Erasure, Alan Wilder joined, and Martin Gore became the chief songwriter.

Andy played on all Depeche Mode’s albums, including Songs Of Faith And Devotion (1993) and Ultra (1997) which both reached No 1 in the UK album chart.

He was regarded as the manager figure within the band. The band was often without a manager so Andy handled all the business related stuff. He said in an interview that he was the tall guy in the background, without whom this international corporation Depeche Mode would never work.

In the documentary “101” he said “Martin is the songwriter, Alan is the good musician, Dave is the singer, and I bum around”

In 2020 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode.

Andy Fletcher leaves behind his wife of almost 30 years, Grainne, and two children, Megan and Joe.

Rest in Peace Andy