Perry Bamonte, the quietly influential guitarist and keyboardist whose artistry helped define The Cure’s sound for decades, has died at age 65 after a brief illness at home over Christmas 2025. The band confirmed his passing on Friday, December 26, with a heartfelt statement on their official website, describing Bamonte as “quiet, intense, intuitive, constant and hugely creative,” and calling him a “warm hearted and vital part of the Cure story.”
Born Perry Archangelo Bamonte in London on September 3, 1960, Bamonte’s journey with The Cure began far from the stage. According to Variety, he entered the band’s orbit as a member of their road crew in 1984, thanks to his brother Daryl’s position as tour manager. Bamonte soon became frontman Robert Smith’s personal assistant and guitar technician, a role that would lay the groundwork for his later musical contributions.
By 1990, following the departure of keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, Bamonte officially joined The Cure as a full-time member. His musical talents, though initially focused on guitar, expanded rapidly. As Rolling Stone reports, he played guitar, keyboards, six-string bass, and even percussion on occasion. Notably, Smith’s sister Janet taught Bamonte keyboards in those early days, as he’d only recently taken up the instrument.
“Everyone who plays in the Cure is as ‘permanent’ as you can be… if Perry (Teddy) writes some stuff and it’s good, we’ll play it!” Smith wrote in a 1990 newsletter, referencing Bamonte’s nickname “Teddy”—a moniker born from a hotel check-in as “Edward Van Menthe” and his exuberant stage presence.
Bamonte’s arrival coincided with a pivotal era for The Cure. He performed on the band’s most commercially successful album, Wish (1992), contributing guitar, keyboards, and six-string bass to hits like “Friday I’m in Love,” “A Letter to Elise,” and “High.” He continued to play a central role on subsequent albums, including Wild Mood Swings (1996), Bloodflowers (2000), Acoustic Hits, and The Cure (2004). His artistic touch extended beyond music, as he also contributed to the art direction and photography for some of the band’s albums.
Reflecting on his early days with the band, Bamonte told Spin in 1990, “I still haven’t really had time to put into words what it feels like to be onstage with them. When we were in Paris, we did this concert outdoors, and it was my first time playing live with them. It was an unannounced show; people found out about it only a couple of hours before we went on. That was the best thing for me, because it wasn’t like going and having the hall filled up with Cure fans. That would have been more nerve racking.”
As the band’s lineup shifted, Bamonte adapted. He became lead guitarist when Pearl Thompson left in 1994, and when O’Donnell returned the following year, Bamonte focused even more on guitar. Over his initial fourteen-year tenure, he performed at more than 400 shows, helping to anchor The Cure’s live presence worldwide.
In 2005, Robert Smith reconfigured The Cure as a trio, prompting both Bamonte and O’Donnell to depart. Bamonte later said in 2006, “I just feel something like relief. I agree that the circumstances were sad, but I had no control over that.” He took a year off from music, indulging his passion for fly fishing as the artistic director of the publication Fly Culture, before returning to the stage with the group Love Amongst Ruin. He played on their 2015 album Lose Your Way, collaborating with former members of Placebo and Lamb.
Recognition of Bamonte’s impact came in 2019, when he joined both current and former members of The Cure for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a fitting tribute to a musician whose behind-the-scenes dedication and onstage flair had shaped the band’s identity for years.
In 2022, Bamonte rejoined The Cure for the “Shows of a Lost World” global tour, which began in Latvia in October and continued through December 2023. According to Variety, he played another 90 shows during this period—some of the best in the band’s storied history. His final performance with The Cure took place at London’s Troxy on November 1, 2024, during “The Show of a Lost World” concert. He was slated to continue performing with the band at international shows through 2026, a testament to his enduring importance to The Cure’s live sound.
Bamonte’s playing on the 2022-2023 tour is captured in a concert documentary that is currently in theatrical release, offering fans a lasting glimpse of his musicianship and presence on stage. Despite his absence from the recording of Songs of a Lost World (2024), his influence on the band’s recent performances was unmistakable.
Bandmates and fans alike have been quick to honor Bamonte’s memory. The Cure’s official statement, quoted by multiple outlets, summed up the collective sentiment: “Our thoughts and condolences are with all his family. He will be very greatly missed.”
Bamonte’s musical journey began long before his days with The Cure. Growing up in Basildon, he attended school with Martin Gore, who would go on to co-found Depeche Mode. Despite feeling discouraged from playing guitar at school, Bamonte picked up the instrument at 17 and never looked back. His brother Daryl’s work as Depeche Mode’s roadie opened the door for Perry to join The Cure’s team, and by the late 1980s, he was credited in tour programs as “backline,” “assistant tour manager,” and “guitar technician.”
Through it all, Bamonte remained humble about his achievements. Looking back in 2006, he cited Wish as his favorite album he played on: “Obviously the fact that I had just joined the band has a lot to do with that, but it came on the back of Disintegration, the band were really at their peak, and it really felt that way. It felt like the world was ours for the taking.”
The music world has lost a quietly brilliant force, a musician whose versatility, creativity, and warmth left an indelible mark on The Cure and beyond. For fans, Bamonte’s legacy endures not just in the albums and performances he helped create, but in the spirit of collaboration and understated artistry he brought to every project.
As the concert documentary continues to draw audiences, and as The Cure’s music lives on, Perry Bamonte’s influence will remain a vital thread in the tapestry of alternative rock history.
