Published
Tue, Jul 28, 2020, 14:04
- The Manchester artist passed away "suddenly" according to her family.
Manchester singer Denise Johnson has died at age 56.
According to a family statement, Johnson "died suddenly" after becoming ill last week, BBC and Guardian report. The cause of death is still unknown.
Johnson worked with many local acts, most prominently Primal Scream from 1990-'95, including on their seminal album Screamadelica with tracks "Higher Than The Sun" and "Don't Fight It, Feel It." She came to work with the band when performing with Hypnotone at one of Danny Rampling's Shoom parties in London, she told Louder Than War in 2018.
Johnson also extensively collaborated with Manchester band A Certain Ratio, beginning in 1990. Their relationship continued though March this year, as ACR recorded their last album, founder Martin Moscrop told NME. As well as working with Johnny Marr and The Charlatans, Johnson also contributed to New Order's Music Complete LP in 2015.
Johnson was preparing to release her debut solo album, Where Does It Go, this September. The acoustic LP features covers of New Order, The Smiths and more.
Here are some tributes to Johnson from Manchester artists and her past collaborators. To learn more about her career, read her in-depth 2018 interview with Louder Than War.
Watch the video for "Don't Fight It, Feel It."
Photo credit: Trashed TV screengrab