Andy Fletcher (musician)

Andrew John Fletcher(8 July 1961 – 26 May 2022),also known asFletch, was an English keyboard player and founding member of the electronic bandDepeche Mode.In 2020, he and the band were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Fletcher was the eldest of four siblings born to Joy and John Fletcher.The family moved to Basildon fromNottinghamwhen he was two years old, when his father, an engineer, was offered a job at a cigarette factory.He was active in the localBoys' Brigadefrom an early age, primarily to play football.He attendedNicholas Comprehensivewhere he was in the samesixth formclass asMartin GoreandAlison Moyet.After leaving school he worked as aninsuranceclerk.
Fletcher, and acquaintancesVince ClarkeandMartin Gore, were in their mid-teens whenpunk rockarrived on the music scene. Fletcher said this was "obviously the perfect age to experience it", noting that "we were very lucky in life".Fletcher and Clarke formed the short-lived band No Romance in China, in which Fletcher played bass guitar.In 1980, Clarke and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar and Fletcher on bass; the pair were soon joined by Gore as a third instrumentalist.Influences on their work includedSiouxsie and the Banshees,the Cure,Kraftwerk,the Human LeagueandOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark(OMD).Clarke served as chief songwriter and also provided lead vocals until singerDave Gahanwas recruited into the band later in 1980, after which they adopted the nameDepeche Modeat Gahan's suggestion.Clarke left the group in late 1981, shortly after the release of their debut albumSpeak & Spell.
Their 1982 follow-up album,A Broken Frame, was recorded as a trio, with Gore taking over primary songwriting duties.Musician and producerAlan Wilderjoined the band in late 1982 and the group continued as a quartet.
In 1989, while the band was preparingViolator, Fletcher suffered from anxiety and depression. He had a relapse in 1993 during the recording ofSongs of Faith and Devotion.One year later, he had to leave theExotic Tour/Summer Tour '94due to a nervous breakdown, and the band played without him in South America and the United States.
AfterAlan Wilder left the bandin 1995,the band's core trio of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher remained active up to the release of their 2017 albumSpiritand ensuingworld tour.
Fletcher's role within Depeche Mode was often a topic of speculation.In early incarnations of the band, he played (electric and later synth) bass.As the band evolved afterVince Clarke's departure in 1981, Fletcher's role changed as each of the band members took to the areas that suited them and benefited the band collectively. In a key scene inD. A. Pennebaker's 1989documentary film about the band, Fletcher clarified these roles: "Martin's the songwriter, Alan's the good musician, Dave's the vocalist, and I bum around."In his review of 2005'sPlaying the Angel, long after Wilder's departure from the band,Rolling StonewriterGavin Edwardsriffed upon Fletcher's statement with the opening line: "Depeche Mode's unique division of labour has been long established, with each of the three remaining members having a distinct role: Martin Gore writes the songs, Dave Gahan sings them and Andy Fletcher shows up for photo shoots and cashes the checks."Fletcher was the only member of the band with no songwriting credits.
With the band having not always employed a full-time manager, Fletcher handled many of the band's business, legal, and other non-musical interests over the years.In thepress kitforSongs of Faith and Devotion,he discussed being genuinely interested in many of the business aspects of the music industry that other performing musicians shy away from, and as such, he took over a lot of the business management aspects of the band. In later years, this included acting as the band's "spokesman",with Fletcher often being the one to announce Depeche Mode news (such as record album and tour details).
He was also said to be the member who was "the tiebreaker" and the one who "brings the band together".According to interviews, Fletcher built the compromise between Gahan and Gore that settled their serious dispute following 2001'sExciteralbum and the subsequent Exciter Tour over future songwriting duties within Depeche Mode.
In the studio and during live shows, Fletcher contributed a variety of supporting synthesizer parts, including bass parts,strings, anddronesounds, and varioussamples.Fletcher was the only member of Depeche Mode who did not often sing. Although he can be seen singing in videos of Depeche's past live performances, usually Fletcher's vocals were either mixed very low or heard only through his ownstage monitors.Fletcher sang on the interlude "Crucified" onViolator.According to Alan Wilder, every band member participated in the choir on the song "Condemnation" fromSongs of Faith and Devotionand Wilder confirms this on the press kit of the same album.During a live event in 2023, producerGareth Jonesanalyzed all the single elements of the song "Told You So", revealing Fletcher singing backing vocals during the last middle eight section of the song.
In 2002, Fletcher launched his own record label, aMute Recordsimprintcalled Toast Hawaii (named afterthe dish),and signed the bandClient.He coordinated the recording of theireponymous 2003 debutand 2004'sCity, while also producing "extended remixes" for their subsequent singles "Price of Love", "Rock and Roll Machine", "Here and Now", "In It for the Money", "Radio", and "Pornography" (featuringCarl Barâtofthe Libertines).
Client left the label in 2006 and no further activity with Toast Hawaii was held or announced.
Initially to support Client's live shows, Fletcher began touring as aDJ.Whenever he was on hiatus from Depeche Mode, Fletcher played occasional festivals and club gigs,and was known to include various exclusive Depeche remixes in his sets.
Fletcher was married to Gráinne Fletcher (née Mullan)for approximately 30 years. The couple had two children.
While Depeche Mode were touring with the bandBlancmangein the early 1980s, Fletcher was renowned for his skill atchess. Neil Arthur of Blancmange has mentioned in interviews "never winning a game of chess with Andy Fletcher!"During the 1990s, Fletcher owned a restaurant called Gascogne located on Blenheim Terrace inSt. John's Wood, London.He made a series of bad investments in the mid-1990s that led to a number of financial settlements involvingLloyd's of LondonandDaniel Miller.
Fletcher experienced anxiety and depression in 1989 when Depeche Mode was preparingViolator. His bandmates recommended that he seek in-patient treatment. Fletcher attributed his mental health struggles to anobsessive–compulsive disorderhe inherited from his father and the loss of his sister in her early twenties. Fletcher had a mental health relapse in 1993,and a nervous breakdown during the band'sExotic Tourin 1994.
Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, aged 60, following anaortic dissectionwhile at home.His bandmates Gahan and Gore stated, "we are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher".Former Depeche Mode memberAlan Wilderstated that learning of Fletcher's death was "a real bolt from the blue".
Lol Tolhurstofthe Curewrote, "I knew Andy and considered him a friend. We crossed many of the same pathways as younger men. My heart goes out to his family, bandmates, and DM fans. RIP Fletch."
Pet Shop Boysstated, "We're saddened and shocked that Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died. Fletch was a warm, friendly and funny person who loved electronic music and could also give sensible advice about the music business."
Other artists who expressed condolences following Fletcher's death includedOMD,Alison Moyet,New Order,Gary Numan,LimmyandErasure(the latter of whom was founded by former Depeche Mode bandmateVince Clarke).