The Cure's Perry Bamonte dies at 65

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FILE - Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre on June 2, 2000 in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Perry Bamonte, the longtime guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, has died. 

The band confirmed the news on The Cure’s official website Friday. He was 65.

Perry Bamonte’s death

What they're saying:

"It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte, who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas," the band wrote on their website. 

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"Quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm hearted and vital part of The Cure story. Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed."

The band did not release a cause of death. 

Perry Bamonte’s career

The backstory:

Bamonte officially joined The Cure in 1990 when keyboardist Roger O’Donnell quit, but he had previously worked in various roles with the band from 1984-1989.

Bamonte joined shortly after The Cure’s breakthrough album, 1989’s "Disintegration." 

Bamonte is featured on a number of The Cure’s albums, including 1992’s "Wish" — which features the career-defining hits ″Friday I’m in Love″ and "High" — as well as the 1996’s "Wild Mood Swings," 2000’s "Bloodflowers" and 2004’s self-titled release.

The Cure’s lead singer, Robert Smith, fired Bamonte from the band in 2005 after performing in more than 400 shows over 14 years. Bamonte rejoined the band years later and toured with them for another 90 shows in 2022.

Bamonte and the rest of The Cure were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

His last performance with the band was on Nov. 1, 2024 in London for a special one-off event to launch their latest album and first in 16 years, "Songs of a Lost World." The concert was filmed for "The Cure: The Show of a Lost World," a film released this month in theaters worldwide.