FANS have been spotted lining the streets as they prepare to say goodbye to legendary bassist Gary Mounfield.
Stone Roses’ Mani passed away aged 63 last month – just two years after losing his wife, Imelda, to cancer.
The dad-of-two was last seen in public alongside Oasis icon Liam Gallagher at the funeral of legendary boxer Ricky Hatton in October.
Just weeks later, the rocker’s family announced the sad news of his death on social media – sparking floods of tributes from across the globe.
His nephew posted on X: “Unfortunately with sad news my uncle Gary Mani Mounfield from the Stone Roses has sadly passed away today.
“Thinking of his twins and my uncle Greg at this sad time. He will be reunited in heaven with his lovely wife Imelda. RIP Mani.”
Hundreds of locals in his hometown of Manchester have been spotted lining the streets ahead of his funeral today.
Mani – born in November 1962 – was raised in Manchester and left school aged 16 to pursue a career in music.
Proud Mancunian Mani first found fame as a bassist for the Stone Roses after initially joining the band in 1987.
Featuring on the bass, he helped oversee huge hits such as Fools Gold, Made of Stone, I Wanna Be Adored, Waterfall and I Am The Resurrection.
The rock band are widely considered to be one of the pioneers and main driving forces of the “Madchester” music scene in the late ’80s.
And after they disbanded in 1996, Gary remained a vocal advocate for the band to get back together and later went on to join Primal Scream.
He played with them for almost two decades, having a huge role in the band’s success until 2011, when he left for the Stone Roses reunion.
The iconic group came back together to play 17 arena and stadium shows across the globe.
And in 2016, they released their final two new singles, All For One, and Beautiful Thing.
Frontman John Squire said at the time: “Both were really difficult to record so an album would’ve been beyond us.
“That last tour was an obligation, we all knew we weren’t signing up for anything more, so, in that sense, it was a satisfying ending.”
Mani had been preparing to go out on a solo “in conversation with” tour next summer – announcing his run of live dates last month.
It would have seen him recount his memories with Stone Roses and Primal Scream.
Mani’s wife, Imelda, passed away at the age of 52 in November 2023, having been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2020.
Liam Gallagher and Stone Roses frontman John Squires attended her funeral in Manchester.
Speaking about his relationship with Mani, John said: “Mani and his wife really doted on our girls when they were younger.
“I’ve been in touch with Mani a lot since the first time the band broke up. “We used to go on holiday together, the two families.
“They’d always shower the girls with gifts – Mani still chucks money at them.”
After her diagnosis, Mani told the BBC he was going through a “whole spectrum of emotions.”
He added: “One day you can be paranoid and flapping and very, very fearful about stuff and then the next day you can see she’s putting in the effort, there’s a pride in the fight of the lady.”
He added: “It really puts you through the wringer… it’s an old juggling balancing act of keeping your own emotions in check while also trying to offer a bit of support.”
The couple had twin boys, who were born in 2013.
And her tragic death came less than a month after Stone Roses’ bassist, Pete Garner, died aged 61.
