Johnny Marr (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
Johnny Marr has paid a glowing tribute to former Smiths manager Joe Moss, who has died at the age of 72. He was battling cancer.
“Joe was a one off, an amazing person and totally unique,” Marr said in a statement. “He started looking after me when I was 17; it was Joe who put the idea in my head to go and knock on Morrissey’s door. He invested his time and money in us when no one else wanted to know, and his belief in us kept us going.”
Moss and The Smiths parted ways relatively early on in the band’s career, but he reunited with Marr in 1999 and had been looking after the guitarist ever since.
“Without him there wouldn’t have been any Smiths,” Marr continued. “He was an original beatnik and a true bohemian, respected by all.”