Paul Ryder dead: Happy Mondays star and Shaun’s brother dies suddenly

Shaun Ryder’s brother and Happy Mondays bassist Paul has died suddenly aged 57.

The musician was found dead today just hours before the band were due to play at Kubix Festival in Sunderland.

The circumstances of Paul’s death are not known.

Shaun, 59, and Paul were the original founders of The Happy Mondays.  

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for more information. 

Paul Ryder dead: Happy Mondays star and Shaun’s brother has passed away suddenly aged 57 – hours before he was due to play show (stock image) 

The band paid tribute with a Facebook post which read: ‘The Ryder family and Happy Mondays band members are deeply saddened and shocked to say that Paul Ryder passed away this morning.

‘A true pioneer and legend. He will be forever missed.

‘We thank you for respecting the privacy of all concerned at this time.’ 

Paul has previously been very open about his addiction battles in the early days of the band and used heroin. 

Sad loss: The band paid tribute with a Facebook post on Friday

Sad loss: The band paid tribute with a Facebook post on Friday 

In 2014, Paul told MailOnline /how he treated his 11-year-old son’s cancer with cannabis.

He had said that as a recovering addict he would never have encouraged Chico to take drugs.

But when faced with his son’s diagnosis – a rare form of soft tissue cancer – the musician said he and his wife took the decision to use cannabis oil.

Chico fell ill in November 2012, complaining of a sore throat.

But just weeks after that Christmas his family received the devastating diagnosis – he was suffering the cancer rhabdomyosarcoma.

Founding members: Paul, (left), pictured with brother Shaun Ryder while performing with The Happy Mondays  in July 2012

Founding members: Paul, (left), pictured with brother Shaun Ryder while performing with The Happy Mondays  in July 2012

Doctors in Los Angeles where the family lived prescribed a synthetic form of cannabis to ease the side effects of the chemotherapy such as nausea and vomiting.

But Chico’s parents took the treatment one step further, giving their then 11-year-old son cannabis oil, through his stomach tube – with the full support of his medical team.

Paul, originally from Salford, told MailOnline: ‘I found myself coaching him on how to inhale cannabis vapour from a vapourising machine.

‘It was surreal – but it worked brilliantly, and gave him instant relief.

‘My drug problems have been well documented. I nearly lost my life. But now they are being used instead to help Chico.’

Chico’s illness came as a huge shock to his parents and older brother Sonny, who was aged 12 at the time.

His mother Angela, 50, said: ‘Before he became ill, he was a normal, energetic little boy. He loved skate-boarding, dirt-biking and football.

‘Everything was going well until we were hit with an almighty bombshell.’

A sore throat didn’t clear up and a swelling appeared on the side of Chico’s neck. Initial tests for lymphoma were clear – and the family breathed a sigh of relief.

But five days before Christmas 2012, he became very ill.

With Paul away on tour with the newly reformed band, Angela kept him updated with texts.

And one night, as he was about to take to the stage in London, his phone bleeped with news which was to change his life.

Trying anything: Chico's father, Paul Ryder, pictured far right with his bandmates, including Chico's uncle Shaun Ryder, third left, said he and his wife Angela decided to take their son's treatment a step further, giving him doses of cannabis oil through a stomach tube, with the full support of his medical team

Trying anything: Chico’s father, Paul Ryder, pictured far right with his bandmates, including Chico’s uncle Shaun Ryder, third left, said he and his wife Angela decided to take their son’s treatment a step further, giving him doses of cannabis oil through a stomach tube, with the full support of his medical team

‘They are admitting him into hospital for more tests. 50-50 chance it’s cancer,’ the message read.

Paul said: ‘I was in a daze throughout the gig, I can’t remember playing at all.

‘It was so surreal to know that the rest of the world was oblivious, enjoying the festivities, tucking into turkey and having happy family times, while we were stuck in a hospital, dealing with our worst nightmare.’

Three days after Christmas, Chico was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma.

Paul told MailOnline: ‘I walked in there, to his hospital room and I just lost it, he looked so sick and frail. I went straight into the bathroom and threw up.’

It was the start of a battle which would see Chico cheat death more than once – while his father and uncle, Happy Mondays front man Shaun, hid their secret heartache from fans.

His wife said: ‘Shaun was shell-shocked; he sent text messages to Paul saying he couldn’t believe it and how he wished we weren’t so far away.

‘Like most people, he just didn’t know what to say.’

Surgery was too risky, and so Chico began a 43-week course of chemotherapy, along with radiation.

Doctors prescribed a drug called Marinol – a synthetic form of cannabis – to ease the chemo nausea.

For Paul, the irony of giving drugs to his son was not lost.

He told MailOnline: ‘I am a recovering addict and haven’t had a drink or drug for many years, so there’s no way I would ever have encouraged my son to take cannabis.

‘But when Angela told me what she had discovered I couldn’t really argue and had to agree that we had to get some for him.

‘It was the best thing we could have done. In my opinion it’s a medicine not a drug, and thank goodness we were living in California.

‘We built up the dose slowly as his tolerance rose. It made a big difference in his overall well-being.

‘It definitely made the treatment more tolerable. He started to smile. It certainly didn’t solve every problem but it helped make his life more bearable through the treatment.’

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