THE CURE bassist Simon Gallup has announced he has quit the band.

The band, which formed in Crawley in 1978, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Simon, who had two stints in the group, was the longest-serving member of the band, apart from lead vocalist Robert Smith.

The musician shared the news of his departure on his personal Facebook page.

The 61-year-old, whose most recent spell with the rock band began in 1984, said his exit was with a “slightly heavy heart”.

He wrote: “With a slightly heavy heart I am no longer a member of The Cure! Good luck to them all.”

After a fan asked if the decision was health-related, Simon responded: “I’m ok. Just got fed up of betrayal”.

The Argus: The Cure put their hands in cement at Hollywood's Rockwalk in Los Angeles in April 2004The Cure put their hands in cement at Hollywood's Rockwalk in Los Angeles in April 2004

The founding members of band were school friends at Notre Dame Middle School in Crawley, having first performed together at an end-of-year show in 1973.

In 1976, while at Crawley’s St Wilfrid's Comprehensive School, lead guitarist Marc Ceccagno formed a variant of the original band called Malice.

The following year, Malice became known as Easy Cure – after a song written by Laurence Tolhurst, who was on percussion.

In 1978, Easy Cure played their last gig at the Montefiore Institute Hall in Three Bridges, before becoming The Cure.

The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys in 1979.

Simon appeared on all three LPs in their Dark Trilogy - Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981) and Pornography (1982).