Paul ‘Wags’ Wagstaff, the Manchester guitarist who formed Paris Angels and later joined Happy Mondays and Black Grape, has died aged 60.

Tributes have been paid from a number of Wagstaff’s friends and colleagues, including Bez, who posted a retro image of Black Grape on his Facebook page on Saturday (March 22), adding: “Mr Paul Wagstaff (Wags), remembering the good times. RIP my friend.”

Wagstaff was part of the band Paris Angels, who emerged during the Madchester period in the late 1980s. Closely associated with the burgeoning acid house scene and the legendary Hacienda nightclub, their funky indie dance music was exemplified by singles such as ‘Perfume’ and ‘Scope’.

When Shaun Ryder and Bez formed Black Grape in 1993 after the dissolution of Happy Mondays, they recruited Wagstaff on guitar. He went on to play on their albums ‘It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah’ (1995) and ‘Stupid Stupid Stupid’ (1997), before they split in 1998.

Happy Mondays reformed in 1999, and Wagstaff was once again brought in to play guitar, replacing Mark Day. The two-year spell included a tour supporting Oasis in 2000 and the comeback single ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, a hit in the UK.

Others to pay tribute to Wagstaff included singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy, who wrote on X/Twitter: “I’m very saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Wags.. aka Paul Wagstaff. He was always a really lovely bloke, and a truly talented and soulful guitarist. Very sad news.”

I’m very saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Wags.. aka Paul Wagstaff. He was always a really lovely bloke, and a truly talented and soulful guitarist. Very sad news pic.twitter.com/4NdcIpg7Tx

— Badly Drawn Boy (@badly_drawn_boy) March 22, 2025

Mike Bennett, frontman of The Blockheads, wrote (via Louder Than War): “Legendary Paul Wagstaff also known as Wags was an important part of Paris Angels, Black Grape and Happy Mondays. I knew him for years and he was not just a musician but a literary scholar, and always had a kind heart and a lightness of touch with the disenfranchised.”

“Needless to say, I dipped in and out of that category and I have to say that his advice, kind heart scholastic words stopped me from making wrong decision and venturing through dark corridors. Despite his own physical deliberations I found him self deprecating, upbeat and creatively of genius proportions.”

R.I.P Paul ‘Wags’ Wagstaff guitarist with Manchester bands Paris Angels and of Course Blackgrape .and more recently Happy Mondays . Like asking where the music goes when it stops playing – that Manchester vibe Paul was a part of will always be in ‘the area’… pic.twitter.com/N45ZxuSgKS

— terry christian (@terrychristian) March 22, 2025

Broadcaster Terry Christian wrote on X: “R.I.P Paul ‘Wags’ Wagstaff guitarist with Manchester bands Paris Angels and of course Blackgrape and more recently Happy Mondays. Like asking where the music goes when it stops playing – that Manchester vibe Paul was a part of will always be in ‘the area’.”

Wagstaff is survived by his long-term partner, the Royal Shakespeare Company actress Tamara Smith, with whom he had been working on a new project.