(London) Steve Mackey, bassist of Pulp at the time of its greatest successes, died Thursday at the age of 56, announced the Britpop group, which is about to reform this year for a tour.
Originally from Sheffield, in the north of England, Steve Mackey had joined Pulp, formed in 1978 and then little known, in 1989 and had participated in the albums Separations, Different Class and His’n’Hers, which marked the peak of the band, with hits like Common People.
“Our friend and beloved bassist Steve Mackey passed away this morning,” the band posted on their official Instagram account, captioning a photo of a musician climbing a mountain in the Andes while touring America. du Sud in 2012, “a magical experience”.
“Steve was someone who made things happen, in his life and for the band, and we would like to think that he is back in these mountains for the next stage of his adventure”, he added.
His wife, stylist Katie Grand, said on the bassist’s Instagram account that he died “after three months in the hospital fighting with strength and determination”.
After his career with Pulp, whose last album dates back to 2013, he helped produce artists like Florence + the Machine or Arcade Fire.
While the leader of Pulp Jarvis Cocker had recently announced a new tour for festivals next summer, Steve Mackey had indicated that he did not intend to participate, explaining that he wanted to “continue projects in music, cinema and photography”.