Denise Johnson, the iconic British singer from the Manchester area has passed away, her record label has confirmed. Johnson, 56 at the time of her passing, was largely known for her powerful vocals and collaborations with various artists. Perhaps most notable were her efforts on backing vocals and as co-lead vocalist for Primal Scream’s seminal 1991 release, Screamdelica, which was released to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success.

The singer’s untimely death prompted a slew of reactions from across the British music world and beyond including Simone Marie of Primal Scream, the Stone Roses’ and a statement from the band New Order.

Very sad news 💜 love and prayers to Denise’s family and loved ones. Rest in Power Denise Johnson x pic.twitter.com/qsAKN6yqL1

— simone marie (@simonemarie4) July 27, 2020

RIP LOVELY DENISE JOHNSON X

— Ian Brown (@ianbrown) July 27, 2020

New Order 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. pic.twitter.com/9elTLCiHG8

— New Order (@neworder) July 27, 2020

Johnson performed with a legion of other impressive acts throughout her career including the likes of Electronic, a supergroup formed by Johnny Marr and Bernard sumner, as well as A Certain Ratio, New Order and I Am Kloot.

Today, Johnson’s record label, A Certain Ratio, released a very thoughtful statement addressing the singer’s untimely passing that also highlighted her remarkable talents and career. They had also shared a post to their Instagram account earlier in the day, asking people to respect her family’s privacy and to spend time “remembering her loving nature and infectious humour.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beautiful dear friend Denise has passed away. A full statement will be released later, for now please give her family and friends the space they need. Spend sometime listening to her wonderful voice, remembering her loving nature and infectious sense of humour. Love you loads D. Jez, Martin, Donald, Tony & Matt xx

A post shared by A Certain Ratio (@acr.mcr) on Jul 27, 2020 at 10:10am PDT

The singer was in the midst of preparing to release her solo acoustic debut album, Where Does It Go, on September 25. In addition to original tracks from Johnson, the LP will include covers of tracks by several fellow Manchester musicians including “Well I Wonder” by The Smiths and New Order’s “True Faith.”

Check out some of Johnson’s stirring vocal performances below.