Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder has revealed he had to miss the funeral of Stone Roses bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield as he had pneumonia over the Christmas period.
The singer from Greater Manchester said he and Black Grape bandmate Paul Leveridge, known as Kermit, caught the inflammatory lung condition around the time their band finished their tour on Saturday December 20.
He told BBC Breakfast Ryder recounted his ordeal: "I got pneumonia. We was on tour with Black Grape and me and Kermit ended up with pneumonia. So basically, (I) had to… throw everything I could down me, you know, every sort of painkiller and everything else, just to get through it."
He continued, detailing the impact on his personal life: "When I got back, I couldn’t even go to the funeral. I got back the day before Mani’s funeral and collapsed, and so I couldn’t even go. Like I say, you have to get the job done, don’t you? On the tour, we’re old school."
Ryder credited antibiotics for his recovery, stating: "In the end, I got antibiotics, and that is like a nuclear bomb going off. So that sorted me out quite quick. I’ve only been out of bed what, four days." He confirmed he spent much of Christmas unwell, adding: "Yeah pretty much… It was great, got to see the kids, the missus… Just rotting in bed on my own."
Pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs typically caused by infection, is more prevalent during autumn and winter. Symptoms can include breathing pain, light-headedness, and coughing up blood, according to the NHS.
Ryder appeared on the breakfast show alongside Happy Mondays star Mark Berry, known professionally as Bez, who was among the mourners at Mounfield’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral on December 22.
Mounfield, an original member of the iconic Manchester rock band The Stone Roses, passed away at 63 in November 2025.
The pair were promoting their upcoming tour, which celebrates 35 years of their studio album, Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches, set to commence in March. Bez expressed his excitement, saying: "I can’t wait to get on the road."
