Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini passes away

While the formation of the pioneering trip-hop group Massive Attack can be traced back to the late 80s, their global success continued on through the decades and was further cemented in the late 90s and early 2000s with the addition of guitarist Angelo Bruschini who would play on some of their most revered works. The English musician, who spent time in several other bands as well, sadly lost his battle with lung cancer this week.

By the time Angelo Bruschini joined Massive Attack, the group had already left its mark on the music industry with the release of Blue Lines, but they would continue to deliver ground-breaking works in the form of Mezzanine and 100th Window. During this period, Bruschini would also join the group on the road as he officially became a member of the project, providing live guitars to augment their performances. Outside of Massive Attack, Bruschini was also a member of The Numbers, Rimshots, and The Blue Aeroplanes and played guitar on Jane Taylor’s 2005 hit single, Blowing This Candle Out.

In recent months, Angelo Bruschini continued to share updates about his lung cancer diagnosis, writing in July:

“Twice now I have been told ‘Good luck’ by specialists at the hospital over lung cancer, I think I’m fucked! Had a great life, seen the world many many times, met lots of wonderful people, but the door is closing, think I will write a book.”

Sadly, that battle was lost early on the morning of October 23rd with his wife sharing the tragic news of the guitarist’s passing:

“I am very sad to announce that my beautiful husband, Angelo Bruschini, died on 23rd October 2023 at 12.15am. It was from a rare and agressive cancer – pleomorphic carcinoma.”

The passing of Angelo Bruschini saw many tributes and celebrations of his incredible career pour in from around the music industry, including from his bandmates in Massive Attack who said, “How lucky we were to share such a life together.” We here at We Rave You send out our love and condolences to the family and friends of Angelo Bruschini as we celebrate his music and life.

RIP Angelo ????
A singularly brilliant & eccentric talent. Impossible to quantify your contribution to the Massive Attack canon.
How lucky we were to share such a life together. pic.twitter.com/btSqYQnOoM

— Massive Attack (@MassiveAttackUK) October 24, 2023

Image Credit: Carlos Martínez via Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed