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Artist News
Primal Scream and New Order vocalist Denise Johnson dies
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 28 July 2020
Vocalist Denise Johnson – best known for her work with Primal Scream – has died, aged 56. Her family said that she had “died suddenly”, following an illness.
Johnson worked with numerous other artists and bands over her career, particularly in her native Manchester, including New Order, 808 State, A Certain Ratio, Ian Brown, Beth Orton and more. She appeared on Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ album after being asked to sing on the track ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’, and subsequently toured with the band for several years.
New Order paid one of many tributes to Johnson on Twitter, saying that they are “devastated to hear the sad news that Denise Johnson has passed away. She was a beautiful person with a huge talent. Her voice graced many of our albums and live shows and that of our friends. We will miss her dearly”.
Johnny Marr – who worked with Johnson alongside New Order’s Bernard Sumner for their Electronic project – added: “Playing alongside her was something else. It was a privilege to work with her”.
Prior to her death, Johnson had been preparing for the release of her debut solo album, ‘Where Does It Go’, in September.
