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Mani honoured with permanent mural in Manchester as tributes continue to grow
A permanent Manchester mural now honours Gary “Mani” Mounfield, with tributes to the Stone Roses bassist still unfolding.
A permanent mural honouring Gary “Mani” Mounfield has now been unveiled in Manchester, giving the late Stone Roses bassist a more lasting memorial in the city that made him. The tribute has gone up in Failsworth, the area where Mani grew up, and arrives months after his death from respiratory issues in November at the age of 63.
Mani’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral the following month drew a notable crowd from across the British music landscape, with Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller, Ian Brown and others in attendance. In the weeks after, a crowdfunder was launched to pay for a mural in his memory, sparked in part by Brown’s emotional eulogy, where he said he would love to see a 50-foot gold statue erected in Mani’s honour.
The finished artwork was painted by Chris, also known as Pic.One.Art, whose previous mural work includes Oasis and the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Here, he has depicted Mani smiling and holding his bass, a familiar image but one loaded with context for anyone who understands what he meant to Manchester, and to the wider post-rave British guitar scene.
The crowdfunder was set up by the not-for-profit art organisation GRIT Studios, with all proceeds going to the cancer charity Maggie’s. Donations can still be made here.
“A mural to honour the life of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield. From the thunder and groove he brought to @thestonerosesofficial & @primalscreamofficial, to the tales of how grounded and generous he was as a human; Mani was, and will always be, adored.” pic.twitter.com/owTGZ8hpZe
— Madchester (@madchester_mdcr) May 8, 2026
When the campaign was first announced, GRIT Studios co-founder John Macaulay spoke plainly about what Mani meant to him personally, and what his absence leaves behind. “Mani was one of the warmest, funniest and most generous people I’ve ever known,” he said. “The work we did together in China over a decade ago genuinely changed the course of my life, and without Mani, GRIT Studios probably wouldn’t exist.”
Macaulay and Mani had spent time together before The Stone Roses reunited in 2011, a detail that gives the tribute a more personal edge than the usual city-centre commemorative gesture. “We loved Ian Brown’s beautiful words about Mani in Manchester Cathedral and his suggestion of a 50-foot gold statue! You never know – it might happen in the future, but for now we’ll focus on a mural – it feels like the least we can do,” he added. “This mural will be a way for fans to come together, pay tribute and create something very special for the community, as well as raising funds for Maggie’s which was so important to Mani and Imelda.”
That sense of Mani as more than a bassist, and more than a figure attached to a single era, has shaped much of the response since his death. In its own tribute, NME described him as someone who “held a rare place in the world of bass heroes” and helped define a scene with some of the most infectious and hypnotic basslines ever recorded.
The publication pointed to the role his playing had in The Stone Roses’ key records, noting how “Both weighty and melodic, Mani’s bewitching basslines became the bedrock and, often, the driving force of The Roses’ breakthrough tracks ‘Elephant Stone’, ‘Made Of Stone’ and ‘She Bangs The Drums’, and underpinned the band’s low-slung funk development on ‘Fools Gold’ – arguably a four-minute encapsulation of the entire late-’80s dance rock scene.”
Tributes have continued to spread beyond Manchester. My Bloody Valentine dedicated their first tour in seven years to him, Oasis played ‘Live Forever’ in his honour, and Richard Ashcroft performed a cover of ‘She Bangs The Drums’. More recently, Manchester United marked his memory before an Arsenal game, with players wearing custom jackets reading ‘Mani 1962-2025’ alongside artwork reminiscent of the first Stone Roses album.
There has also been some movement around a separate tribute event. Mani’s family recently cleared up a “misunderstanding” over a planned Manchester gig in his honour, saying the issue “has now been resolved”. The event, called Manichester, is scheduled to take place at the 5,000-capacity Diecast venue in his home city on Saturday May 30.
