Morrissey has written an emotional tribute to his former manager Peter Katsis, remembering him as “a very unusual star” and declaring that “a world has ended”.
Peter Katsis passed away last Thursday, August 6, aged 69. His death was reportedly caused by complications linked to congestive heart failure.
Born in Chicago, Katsis became a respected name within the music world, working as a manager for artists such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg and Jane’s Addiction. After news of his death emerged, the former Smiths singer initially responded by posting a picture of Katsis.
Morrissey has now published a more detailed remembrance, accompanied by an image showing Katsis dressed in drag while attending a New York Dolls concert in Chicago in 1973.
Looking back at the picture, Morrissey said: “He certainly got into the spirit of things. Given his bustling masculinity, he would roar with laughter to know that I have used this shot in summation of his life.”
“I am justifiably glum this week, and it has taken me several days to even face writing this because PK was a very unusual star: an adventurer who enjoyed biting off more than most people could collectively chew,” he continued. “He was very much liked – which was unusual in a music manager. In a way, a dreamy-eyed romantic, but when necessary, a trick octopus.”
Sharing more memories of Katsis and his larger than life personality, Morrissey added: “All liberties were taken; all fun encouraged and consumed. He knew how and when to give momentum another good shove. Sometimes his Chicagoan knuckle-district dialogue was slightly comic strip, but it was all part of his self-destructive charm… taunting an overdose of Dom Perignon because… well, why not?”
The singer also recalled how the pair viewed the music industry in much the same way. “We were similar in that we were both correct too early – on all predictions. He knew that most modern bands contained neither danger nor mystery, but he gritted his teeth and dealt with the platitudinous industry gabble of Los Angeles.”
Turning to a deeply personal moment in their friendship, Morrissey continued: “When my mother died in 2020, he raced to my side. He knew I couldn’t deal with it. He immediately introduced me to Andrew Watt and we recorded “Bonfire Of Teenagers” faster than the speed of sound – an undreamed-of rescue at a time when another day, for me, might not have come.”
Morrissey ended his message by writing: “The future is now merely the remainder of life. Dead brother buried. A world has ended.”
“Bonfire Of Teenagers” was created across 2020 and 2021 with Watt handling production. The record features appearances from Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop and musicians from Red Hot Chili Peppers, although the album has still not received an official release.
Several other music figures have remembered Katsis since his passing, including Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan. Corgan described him as “a dear friend and extended member of our family” and praised his role in helping to “usher in the alternative revolution of the ’80s and ’90s and beyond”.
More messages honouring Katsis can be viewed here.
NEWS
Social media users seemed unconvinced that the real “U-S-H-E-R R-A-Y-M-O-N-D” had taken the stage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium over the weekend. Usher performed alongside Chris Brown during two concerts on their joint Raymond & Brown Tour on Aug. 7 and 8.
Talk suggesting that a clone had taken Usher’s place during Friday’s concert in East Rutherford, N.J., spread widely enough for the singer to respond personally, assuming it really was him.
Usher appeared to join the conversation beneath clips from the concert, adding several crying with laughter emojis as he reacted to the bizarre theory. Videos discussing the claim had already attracted hundreds of thousands of views on different social platforms.
“Ya’ll are funny…clone? They can’t clone this??” he replied in one comment. The message was captured and reposted by @therandbtour on Instagram, a Raymond & Brown Tour fan account that shares updates from every stop on the road.
A separate response showed Usher joking, “How ya’ll come up with this? AI ain’t that advanced.”
Viewers on TikTok and X continued closely examining footage from the concert. “I’m confused. I see Usher but then I don’t,” one viewer wrote beneath a widely viewed TikTok video. Some people enlarged cellphone clips to compare the positions of his tattoos, while others argued that his cheekbones looked unfamiliar. A few also questioned why the performer kept his sunglasses on throughout the appearance. One user playfully suggested that the man was not Usher but “Unsure.”
Perhaps Friday’s unusual atmosphere helped fuel the speculation. Thunderstorms forced the concert to begin later than planned, but the event still offered “a seamless performance,” according to Billboard writer Carl Lamarre in his report covering the biggest highlights of the evening. “The three-hour bonanza was littered with dance numbers, acrobatic moves, special guests ranging from Lil Baby to 50 Cent and, of course, picture-perfect moments of Brown and Usher crossing paths onstage to deliver their classic collaborations.”
