LONDON - Steve Mackey, the bass guitarist for the British pop band Pulp during its decades-spanning successes, died on Thursday aged 56 following a period in hospital, his wife announced.

“After three months in hospital, fighting with all his strength and determination, we are shocked and devastated to have said goodbye to my brilliant husband,” his wife, Katie Grand, said in a post on Instagram.

“Steve was the most talented man I have ever known, an exceptional musician, producer, photographer and filmmaker,” she wrote.

“As in life, he was adored by everyone whose paths he crossed in the multiple creative disciplines he conquered.”

Grand added that he would be “missed beyond words”.

Mackey enjoyed acclaim with Pulp through their seven studio albums, as well as from producing, recording and mixing with a multitude of musicians and working on other projects including curating music for art shows.

Fronted by the charismatic Jarvis Cocker, Pulp were at the forefront of the “Britpop” movement of the 1990s, scoring hits including Common People and Disco 2000.

He rejoined the band after its nine-year hiatus for a world tour in 2011 and 2012, which saw it also release a final recording in 2013.

But he revealed last October that he would not be playing in a series of reunion concerts later this year.

No further details were released about the cause of his death. AFP