As bassist in The Stone Roses, Gary Mounfield was a central figure in the so-called Madchester scene, where the group were frontmen.
The news of his death comes from his brother Greg, who writes on Facebook that "it is with the heaviest possible heart that I must announce that my brother has passed away," writes The Guardian .
The obituary comes just days after "Mani" announced a British tour where he would talk about his life in music.
The Stone Roses singer Ian Brown paid tribute to Mounfield on social media, as did a number of musicians from Manchester's 90s music scene - including Oasis' Liam Gallagher and Shaun Ryder from Happy Mondays, writes NME . The Charlatans singer Tim Burgess writes on Instagram that "Mani" was "one of the very best, in every way".
The Stone Roses formed in 1983, and “Mani” became the band’s bassist four years later. The group enjoyed great success in the early 1990s with their music that blended indie rock with acid house.
They released two albums, "The Stone Roses" (1989) and "Second Coming" (1994), and had hits like "Fool's Gold" and "One Love". The band split up in 1996, but reunited for new concerts in 2012, before finally calling it quits five years later.
During the years when The Stone Roses were apart, "Mani" played in Scottish rock band Primal Scream. He was also part of the group Freebass with Andy Rourke of The Smiths and News Order's Peter Hook.
