Stone Roses Bassist Dead: Mani Revealed He Was In A Great Place And Eager To Play Again In One Of His Final Interviews

Gary​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ "Mani" Mounfield, the legendary bassist of The Stone Roses, died this week. He passed away at the age of ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌58.

The news of his death has left fans, bandmates, and other musicians shocked.

In one of his last interviews, Mani revealed that he was looking forward to returning to the stage and was full of energy after watching the recent Oasis concerts.

The interview with Mani on The Rockonteurs podcast in mid-October discussed his return to a passion for music, according to The Mirror.

"I'm in a great space at the moment. Itching to get back bro. I'm ready to get back," and​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ mentioned that seeing the inside of his storage unit and the pep talk from other musicians had brought back his love of playing bass.

Mani also talked about the collaborations underway and the friendly invitations from the music industry ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌ ‍ ‌‍ ‍‌and friends.

"Johnny Marr's always trying to get me to do stuff. Liam [Gallagher] was always trying to get me involved with stuff before the Oasis thing. I'm feeling now that I could pick up again, you know? I've been in the lock up having a look at stuff and weeding out my collection," Mani said.

A Musical Life Revisited

During the podcast, Mani spoke about his journey as a bass player, noting he transitioned from rhythm guitar later in his career. "I came late to the bass guitar. I was a rhythm guitar player for years, and when the option arose to get on the bass, I jumped on it," he recalled.

Mani also talked about how his music preferences were a mix of genres such as reggae, funk, soul, and classic rock from the 1960s.

"Well, I just love Rickenbacker basses, because I'm a real fan of 60s stuff. And The Birds, the bands from that era, them and Hendrix and The Who and The Kinks. I love all that," he said.

He spoke fondly of attending Oasis shows, saying he had seen the band four times on their 2025 world tour, including one performance at Wembley with Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.

"They're better now than ever. There's not as much chaos and madness surrounding it and it becomes something with the benefit of a bit of age and y'know maturity," Mani reflected.

Family and Tributes

The news of Mani's death was confirmed on social media by his family. His nephew wrote, per BBC, "Unfortunately with sad news my uncle Gary Mani Mounfield from the Stone Roses has sadly passed away today. Thinking of his twins and my uncle Greg at this sad time. He will be reunited in heaven with his lovely wife Imelda. RIP Manni. Your annoying nephew."

Gary's brother Greg added, "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother, Gary Manu Mounfield."

Tributes poured in from the music community, including Liam Gallagher, who tweeted, "In total shock and absolutely devastated on hearing the news about Mani many hero. RIP RKID LG." Ian Brown, lead singer of The Stone Roses, also shared his condolences, posting simply: "Rest In Peace Mani x."

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Celebrity Deaths