He rose to fame in the 1980s as a founding member and bassist of the British cult band. Happy Mondays star Paul Ryder has died at the age of 58.
Paul Ryder is dead. The British musician died this Friday at the age of 58. This was announced by his band Happy Mondays on Twitter. The members of the rock group and the musician’s family are “heartbroken and shocked”. With Paul Ryder, “a true pioneer and a legend” died. “Long live his funk,” the message concludes.
Paul Ryder founded Happy Mondays in the early 1980s with his brother, singer Shaun Ryder, guitarist Mark Day and drummer Gary Whelan. He played bass and taught himself how to use the instrument. It was only later in his career that he “learned what the different strings are. I called them the thick ones, the thin ones and the ones under the thick ones,” he once said in an interview.