Denise Johnson has died at the age of 56. The singer was most well-known for her vocals on Primal Screams highly acclaimed album Screamdelica. There has been an outpouring of grief over the death, with Johnny Marr and Peter Hook among the many musicians who have paid tribute to the singer after her death.
Denise Johnson’s vocals have been featured on a number of prominent records and she has been involved in a number of bands from her home town of Manchester including New Order.
A solo acoustic album, titled ‘Where Does It All Go’ was scheduled for release in September of this year. Prior to her death the singer had been suffering from an illness for about a week, although she had shown signs of recovery a few days before her death. Her family said that her death was sudden in a statement and a cause of death has not been publicly announced.
Many musicians have spoken out about the sadness of the news , touting her incredible talent former guitarist from the Smith, James Marr has said that ‘it as a privledge to work with her’. Former bassist from New Order said he was ‘shocked and saddened to hear the news’. The singer had been a member of the Manchester band ‘A Certain Ratio’ for over 25 years and members of the band urged fans to spend time listening to and appreciating her voice.
Happy Mondays singer Rowetta tweeted about her sadness over the death and said that she had shared many happy memories with Denise whom she’d known since she was in school.
The hugely talented singer touched many and will be sorely missed by those in the industries and members of the band’s that she has been involved during a career that spanned decades.