Gary “Mani” Mounfield, the Stone Roses bassist who played a key role in the “baggy” music movement of the ’90s, has died. The musician’s brother announced his death in a Nov. 20 social media post, just four days after Mani’s 63rd birthday.
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“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield. RIP Rkid,” Greg Mounfield wrote on Facebook. He shared a photo of the rocker and his late wife Imelda, who died from cancer in 2023.
“Good Old Northern Soul”
Born Nov. 16, 1962, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, Gary “Mani” Mounfield formed the Fireside Chaps with John Squire and Andy Couzens in Greater Manchester in the early 80s. They later changed their name to the Waterfront and welcomed lead vocalist Ian Brown to the band that would become the Stone Roses. Mani switched from guitar to bass when the Fireside Chaps became Waterfront, finding his new instrument “more rewarding.”
“I’ve always been into good old northern soul and funk grooves. And it was like, ‘This is it,’” he said in 2000, according to the Guardian.
In 1989, the Stone Roses broke through with their self-titled debut album, which sold more than 4 million records. However, their sophomore record, 1994’s Second Coming, received mixed reviews following a lengthy legal battle to terminate a five-year contract with their label, Silvertone. Drummer Alan “Reni” Wren exited the band the following year, with the Stone Roses ultimately disbanding in 1996.
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Liam Gallagher Leads Tributes to the Stone Roses’ Gary “Mani” Mounfield
After leaving the Stone Roses, Gary “Mani” Mounfield said he would consider joining only three other bands: Primal Scream, Oasis, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. He chose Primal Scream, for which he played bass until the Stone Roses reunited in 2011.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who has spoken openly of the Stone Roses’ influence on him, led the tributes to Mani on social media. “IN TOTAL SHOCK AND ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED ON HEARING THE NEWS ABOUT MANI,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “MY HERO RIP RKID.”
IN TOTAL SHOCK AND ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED ON HEARING THE NEWS ABOUT MANI MY HERO RIP RKID LG
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) November 20, 2025
In a November 2017 interview with NME, the “Wonderwall” singer said Mani and his bandmates provided a respite during his turbulent childhood. “I was going through all this family s— at home and all that. And I just needed a bit of uplifting, you know what I mean?” Gallagher said. He described hearing “I Wanna Be Adored” as “like having a B12 shot or something.”
Featured image by Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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