Shaun Ryder says he missed funeral of Stone Roses’ Mani due to bout of pneumonia
By Hannah Roberts, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder has revealed he had to miss the funeral of Stone Roses bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield as he had pneumonia over the Christmas period.
The singer from Greater Manchester said he and Black Grape bandmate Paul Leveridge, known as Kermit, caught the inflammatory lung condition around the time their band finished their tour on Saturday, December 20th.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I got pneumonia. We was on tour with Black Grape and me and Kermit ended up with pneumonia.
“So basically, (I) had to… throw everything I could down me, you know, every sort of painkiller and everything else, just to get through it.
“When I got back, I couldn’t even go to the funeral.
“I got back the day before Mani’s funeral and collapsed, and so I couldn’t even go.
“Like I say, you have to get the job done, don’t you? On the tour, we’re old school.”
He added: “In the end, I got antibiotics, and that is like a nuclear bomb going off.
“So that sorted me out quite quick. I’ve only been out of bed what, four days.”
Asked if he had been in bed with the illness throughout Christmas, he said: “Yeah pretty much… It was great, got to see the kids, the missus… Just rotting in bed on my own.”
Pneumonia, which is inflammation of the lungs usually caused by an infection, is more widespread in autumn and winter and symptoms include pain when breathing, feeling light-headed and coughing up blood, according to the NHS website.
Ryder appeared on the breakfast show alongside Happy Mondays star Mark Berry, known professionally as Bez, who was among the mourners at Mounfield’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral on December 22nd.
Mounfield, who was an original member of Manchester rock band the Stone Roses, died at the age of 63 in November 2025.
Ryder and Bez appeared on the breakfast show to speak about their upcoming tour celebrating 35 years of their studio album, Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches, which starts in March.
Bez said: “I can’t wait to get on the road.”