Depeche Mode keyboardist Andy Fletcher dies at 60

LOS ANGELES - Andy Fletcher, the keyboardist and one of the founding members of British electronic band Depeche Mode, has died, his band announced Thursday. 

He was 60-years-old.

"Fletch had a true heart of gold, and was always there when you needed support, a lively conversation, a good laugh, or a cold pint," the statement said. 

A cause of death was not released.

Depeche Mode was part of a wave of English pop-synthesizer bands to sweep into America in the 1980s with light-hearted songs like "Just Can’t Get Enough." They matured with edgier, socially conscious tunes like "People Are People" and "Blasphemous Rumours" before hitting big success with 1990′s "Violator," which produced the singles "Personal Jesus," ″Enjoy the Silence" and "Policy of Truth."

Lol Tolhurst, drummer with rock band The Cure, described the news of Fletcher's death as "very sad".

"I knew Andy and considered him a friend. We crossed many of the same pathways as younger men," he tweeted.

The band was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2020.

Fletcher's last studio album with the band was 2017's Spirit, their 14th, which reached number five in the UK album chart.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.