Emmerdale actor Chris Coghill has expressed his devastation following the death of Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, the former bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. Mounfield, from Crumpsall in north Manchester, died at the age of 63, with his brother Greg confirming the news on Facebook on Thursday (November 20).
Coghill, who plays Kev Townsend on the ITV soap, took to Instagram to share a picture of himself with Mounfield, captioning it simply: 'HEARTBROKEN'. The post drew an immediate response from his Emmerdale co-star Danny Miller, who wrote: 'Ahhh mate. Horrible innit. All the love pal.' Coghill's ex-wife, TV chef Lisa Faulkner, also reacted with a broken heart emoji.
Tributes poured in from the music world, with former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown posting 'rest in peace Mani' on X, alongside a kiss. Tim Burgess, lead singer of The Charlatans, shared a photo of himself with Mounfield, saying: 'It never failed to bring a smile to my face – and that was exactly the same for the man himself. One of the absolute best in every way.' Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher described himself as being in 'total shock' and 'absolutely devastated', calling Mounfield 'my hero'.
Mounfield was a key member of The Stone Roses' classic line-up alongside Brown, guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren. Just last week, he had announced a 60-date solo tour of the UK. His death comes almost two years to the day after his wife Imelda passed away in November 2023 following a three-year battle with stage four bowel cancer.
Coghill, from Prestwich, had previously paid tribute to Imelda on social media, writing: 'This is truly heartbreaking. Loved Imelda and sending everything in my heart to Mani and the twins.' The actor also wrote the film 'Spike Island', which centres on The Stone Roses' iconic 1990 concert in Widnes, Cheshire.
