Paul Anthony Ryder (24 April 1964 – 15 July 2022) was an English musician. He was a bass player and a founding member of the Manchester band Happy Mondays with his brother Shaun Ryder.

Early life

Paul and Shaun are the two sons of Derek Ryder, a postman, and his wife Linda, a teacher.

Happy Mondays

Ryder was an active member of the band through most of its history from its inception in 1983 through to his death. His bandmates include his brother Shaun, Gary Whelan, Mark "Bez" Berry, Paul Davies and Mark Day. It was during his tenure with the band that it had its biggest successes with albums such as '' Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches'' which sold more than 400,000 copies in the UK. The Ryder brothers fell out in the 1990s as both brothers struggled with heroin addiction, but he rejoined the band for their 2012 comeback.

Acting

Ryder appeared in the films ''The Ghosts of Oxford Street'', ''Losing It'', and '' 24 Hour Party People'', where he played the part of a gangster.

Other projects

Ryder left Happy Mondays to write music for several television shows, including Turn on Terry for ITV1, Baby's Birth Day for Granada TV and Forensics School for Discovery. He then formed a new band, Big Arm, who released an album in 2008 titled ''Radiator''. He also played bass for Ian Brown on one of his solo tours. Ryder lived in Los Angeles where he continued to write music. He supported Tom Tom Club on two of the dates on the North America tour in October 2010, playing gigs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He was joined by Eddy Gronfier, Neo Garcia on drums and Matt Cheadle on guitar. In the months leading up to his death, he recorded a video podcast, The Paul Ryder Tapes, with his ex-wife, journalist and TV producer Angela Smith, detailing his life and the history of Happy Mondays. The podcast reached number one in both the UK and Ireland music podcast charts. He completed it just 12 days before his death and it was released in July 2023, a year on from his death.

Death

Ryder was found dead by his mother on 15 July 2022, aged 58, the day the band were due to play at a festival in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. He had been reporting headaches upon arriving in Salford after flying from his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The family later reported that the coroner had said that Ryder died as a result of Ischaemic heart disease and diabetes, but they were waiting for the full coroner's report to be released.

References

External links

* * 1964 births 2022 deaths English rock bass guitarists English male bass guitarists Happy Mondays members Musicians from Salford {{UK-guitarist-stub