A permanent tribute mural has been unveiled in Manchester, dedicated to late Stone Roses bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield.
- READ MORE: Gary “Mani” Mounfield, 1962-2025: baggy bass hero whose melodies made the Madchester movement
The Manchester music icon, who was also a member of Primal Scream between 1996 and 2011, passed away from respiratory issues in November at the age of 63. He was laid to rest the following month at a funeral at Manchester Cathedral, which was attended by Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller, Ian Brown and more.
After his funeral, a crowdfunder was launched to fund a permanent tribute mural in Manchester, dedicated to him. It was prompted by Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown’s emotional eulogy, in which he said that he would love to see a 50-foot gold statue of Mani erected to commemorate his life and career.
Now, the mural has been unveiled in Failsworth, the area where Mani grew up. It’s painted by artist Chris, aka Pic.One.Art, who has previously created murals of Oasis and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, and depicts Mani smiling and playing bass.
The crowdfunder was launched by the not-for-profit art organisation GRIT Studios, with all proceeds going to the cancer charity Maggie’s. You can still donate here.
A mural to honour the life of Gary “Mani” Mounfield. From the thunder and groove he brought to @thestonerosesofficial & @primalscreamofficial, to the tales of how grounded and generous he was as a human; Mani was, and will always be adored. pic.twitter.com/owTGZ8hpZe
— Madchester (@madchester_mdcr) May 8, 2026
Speaking about the campaign at the time it launched, co-founder of GRIT Studios, John Macaulay said: “Mani was one of the warmest, funniest and most generous people I’ve ever known,” he said in a statement. “The work we did together in China over a decade ago genuinely changed the course of my life, and without Mani, GRIT Studios probably wouldn’t exist.”
The two of them spent time together before The Stone Roses reunited in 2011.
“We loved Ian Brown’s beautiful words about Mani in Manchester Cathedral and his suggestion of a 50-foot gold statue! You never know – it might happen in the future, but for now we’ll focus on a mural – it feels like the least we can do,” Macaulay added.
“This mural will be a way for fans to come together, pay tribute and create something very special for the community, as well as raising funds for Maggie’s which was so important to Mani and Imelda.”
In a tribute to Mani, NME described how the late musician “held a rare place in the world of bass heroes” and “defined a scene with some of the most infectious and hypnotic basslines ever recorded.”
“Both weighty and melodic, Mani’s bewitching basslines became the bedrock and, often, the driving force of The Roses’ breakthrough tracks ‘Elephant Stone’, ‘Made Of Stone’ and ‘She Bangs The Drums’, and underpinned the band’s low-slung funk development on ‘Fools Gold’ – arguably a four-minute encapsulation of the entire late-’80s dance rock scene,” it read.
Among those who paid tribute to the bassist were My Bloody Valentine, who dedicated their first tour in seven years to him, Oasis, who played ‘Live Forever’ in his honour, and Richard Ashcroft, who played a cover of ‘She Bangs The Drums’.
Last month, Manchester United paid their respects ahead of an Arsenal game, with players wearing custom jackets reading ‘Mani 1962-2025’ alongside artwork reminiscent of the first Stone Roses album.
In other news, Mani‘s family have cleared up a “misunderstanding” over a tribute gig to the late musician in Manchester, saying this “has now been resolved”.
The special event, dubbed ‘Manichester’, is scheduled to take place at the 5,000-capacity venue Diecast in the bassist’s home city on Saturday May 30.
