Depeche Mode Reveals Keyboardist Andy Fletcher’s Cause Of Death

It’s been a month since the keyboardist and founding member of Depeche Mode, Andy Fletcher, tragically passed away at the age of 60.

The band posted on their Instagram, thanking fans for supporting them and adding, “it’s been a strange, sad, disorienting few weeks for us here, to say the least.” With the approval of Fletcher’s family, they also shared his cause of death.

The band wrote that Fletcher died from an aortic dissection, and mentioned that “even though it was far, far too soon, he passed naturally and without prolonged suffering,” which is hopefully comforting to some of his fans. A funeral was also held for Fletcher last week, which had “so many people who have touched Andy’s and our lives throughout the years” in attendance.

Aortic dissection is a heart condition that causes a tear in the layer of the body’s main artery, or aorta, which is subsequently split because of the increased blood now flowing through the tear. If not detected early, aortic dissection can often be deadly.

Fletcher was a member of Depeche Mode since 1980 when they formed as the group Composition Of Sound but changed the name a year later. While playing bass parts and synthesizer during album recording and live tours, Fletcher was also well-known as the band’s manager who kept their business affairs in order and also acted as a peacekeeper between the band-mates when they occasionally clashed.