Morrissey has paid tribute to The Jam‘s Rick Buckler, who died at the age of 69 earlier this week following a short illness.
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The passing of the legendary musician was confirmed by his bandmates Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton, who each shared separate statements on his death. The news of Buckler’s passing comes weeks after he was forced to cancel his spoken word tour due to “ongoing health issues”.
In a blog post on Morrissey Central, the singer shared his own tribute to Buckler today (February 20). “He made it happen. Lightning-like drumming … balletic without losing virility … how he played had every right to be termed art,” he wrote.
“The natural question is: why can’t we speak up and express our love while such cinematic players are still with us? Why is death always the cue to let loose with praise?
We are all so well-meaning and inept. It’s as if no one ever knows what to do. Rick, I’ll be listening to you until my ears are cremated.”
The sentiments shared by Morrissey echo his tribute to Sinéad O’Connor following her death in 2023. “There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’ (this I know only too well), and they are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back,” he wrote.
In Weller’s tribute to Buckler, he tweeted: “I’m shocked and saddened by Rick’s passing. I’m thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey!”.
Foxton called Buckler “a good guy and a great drummer whose innovative drum patterns helped shape our songs”, while former Jam member Steve Brookes wrote that – even though he’s only seen Buckler “a few times in recent years” – that “his easy-going nature will be sadly missed.”
Fans have also begun re-sharing footage and audio of The Jam’s final gig in 1982.
Earlier this week, Morrissey announced additional dates to his upcoming solo tour across the UK and Europe. The news of the new tour dates also comes after the singer confirmed that no London shows will be taking place this year, and after fans took to social media to show their frustration over ticket prices.
Upcoming UK dates will be Morrissey’s first in the country since he abruptly cancelled a July 9 show at London’s Crystal Palace back in April 2023. A replacement show was set for Nottingham on that same night, although that one was also cancelled, with the venues hosting the shows citing “unforeseen circumstances”.
The post Morrissey pays tribute to The Jam’s Rick Buckler: “I’ll be listening to you until my ears are cremated” appeared first on NME.