Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller, David Beckham and Gary Neville were among the mourners at Manchester Cathedral on Monday for the funeral of Gary 'Mani' Mounfield, the beloved bassist of the Stone Roses. Fans packed the streets outside as hundreds paid their respects to the musician, who died at his home in Stockport on 20 November at the age of 63.
Stone Roses singer Ian Brown remembered his bandmate as a 'true musical comrade' and 'always a beautiful soul and spirit'. He told the congregation: 'One thing we can all agree on is Mani was one of the greatest lads we ever met, one of the greatest men we ever knew. Lucky us. Mani was like a brother to me.'
Brown described Mounfield as a 'non-stop laugh machine' who lived for his family, friends, fishing, football, music and Manchester United. He called for a 50ft solid gold statue to be erected in his honour, saying 'few have done so much for this city'.
Mounfield's coffin, designed to resemble the cover of the Stone Roses' debut album, was carried out of the cathedral by Brown, Liam Gallagher, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and his former bandmates John Squire and Alan 'Reni' Wren. Gillespie, who played with Mounfield in Primal Scream, described him as 'a funky little mother, with a rock'n'roll heart'.
Mounfield, who also played with Primal Scream after joining in 1996, had recently announced a UK speaking tour scheduled from September 2026 to June 2027. He is survived by his two children; his wife Imelda died two years ago.
