Depeche Mode's Andrew Fletcher dies at 60

Andrew Fletcher performs in Italy in 2018 with Depeche Mode.

(Image credit: Francesco Prandoni/Redferns)

published 27 May 2022

Andrew Fletcher, a founding member of Depeche Mode and the band's keyboardist, has died of natural causes. He was 60.

"We are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member, and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher," Depeche Mode said in a statement released Thursday. "Fletch had a true heart of gold and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint."

Depeche Mode formed in 1980 and gained worldwide fame with hits like "Enjoy the Silence," "Personal Jesus," "Never Let Me Down Again," and "Strangelove." Fletcher played on all 14 of Depeche Mode's studio albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the band in 2020. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Fletcher said his role in Depeche Mode was to "contribute the element of pop," adding that he "will probably eternally feel loyal to the simple pop melodies and the lightness they stand for."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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