Depeche Mode's surviving members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore were devastated after their bandmate and longtime friend, Andy Fletcher, passed away last year, but the former revealed in a recent interview that his death made significant progress for the group in the present.
Speaking to NME, the frontman compared their good pal's death to The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts' passing, saying losing someone from the band is like losing an anchor as the late member was a big part of the group for the past four decades.
Elsewhere in the conversation, the two members admitted that they were distant from each other despite being in a band together for 40 years, but everything changed when Fletcher died.
"Martin described it as two long-lost brothers meeting for the first time and having to have a real conversation. It was about getting to know each other in a different way," he said.
He clarified that they know each other well, but when it comes to having a "close friendship," he revealed that it wasn't a deal between them.
Gore chimed in and noted that the two of them didn't have any problems or issues with one another, but they were still distant in the past. Now that there are only two of them, it led them to talk and be closer.
Dave Gahan Opens Up About Andy Fletcher's Funeral
It was hard for the band to accept their good pal's death as Dave Gahan previously told The Guardian how he reacted when he attended Andy Fletcher's funeral.
The 60-year-old musician said everything sunk in when he saw Mute Records founder Daniel Miller as he was the one who signed them when they were younger.
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When he saw the record executive walk in with his wife, they immediately had a group hug and he started sobbing when everything flashed back to him.
"He pointed it out: when he met me and my band, I was a teenager, just about to turn 19. I thought about that. It's been 40-odd years. My entire adult life," he added.
Andy Fletcher's Death
Andy Fletcher, one of the key members of Depeche Mode, passed away on May 26, 2022.
Initially, it was announced that he died "naturally and without prolonged suffering" at his home, but it was later confirmed by medical examiners that he died of an aortic dissection.
Fletcher formed the group Composition Of Sound in Basildon along with Vince Clarke and Martin Gore. When Dave Gahan joined the band, they changed the name to Depeche Mode.
