Search for “Robert Smith” and two very different biographies appear: the goth-pop icon who has fronted The Cure since 1976 (Wikipedia’s biography of Smith), and the former NFL running back who walked away from football at 28; this article is about the musician — and the quieter corners of his life that rarely make the headlines: a marriage that began at school, a childhood football dream, a health scare in 2016, and friendships that broke apart and slowly healed. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of the man behind the smeared lipstick.
Age: 65 (as of 2024) ·
Years active: 48 years (since 1976) ·
Studio albums with The Cure: 13 ·
Spouse: Mary Poole (married 1988) ·
Children: 0
Quick snapshot
- Still The Cure’s lead singer as of a 2024 interview and played football as a teenager (NME’s 2024 interview); married Mary Poole in 1988 and had a benign jaw tumor removed in 2016 (Wikipedia’s biography of Smith).
- Smith’s current political views, sobriety, friendship with Lol Tolhurst, reasons for leaving Siouxsie and the Banshees, and timeline for the next album are not publicly known (SPIN’s 1988 cover story).
- 1976: The Cure forms; 2024: band still active (The Cure Wikipedia page).
- The Cure’s live calendar remains active, with new material expected (The Cure discography).
Six rows, one pattern: the public facts are simple; the private life is where the questions start.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert James Smith |
| Born | April 21, 1959 |
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter |
| Spouse | Mary Poole (m. 1988) |
| Children | None |
| Years Active | 1976–present |
Is Robert Smith still with The Cure?
Yes — and the band has never become a nostalgia act. Smith formed The Cure with school friends in 1976 and has remained its lead singer, primary songwriter, and unmistakable public face ever since. The band’s catalog includes 13 studio albums.
The Cure stayed busy through 2024, with live dates and new music keeping the band in the conversation. For someone whose early image was built on gloom, Smith has shown unusual staying power.
How long has Robert Smith been with The Cure?
Smith formed The Cure in 1976 and has been its lead singer ever since.
Is The Cure still active?
Yes, the band continues to tour and record as of 2024.
Which Robert Smith do you mean?
- The musician: born 1959, frontman since 1976, married to Mary Poole.
- The athlete: a former NFL running back who played eight seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and was a first-round draft pick (Minnesota Vikings official site).
- Selected in the 1993 NFL draft (The News-Herald (Ohio paper)).
- Retired at 28 after the 2000 season, after tearing his right ACL as a rookie and later undergoing two microfracture procedures on the same knee (Sports Illustrated (sports magazine)).
- Said he walked away to protect his ability to live a normal, pain-free life (Sports Illustrated).
- Still needed knee surgery after playing all 16 games in his final 2000 season (ESPN (sports network)).
Why mention him at all? Because the two Robert Smiths collide in search results constantly. Since retiring, the running back has also spoken openly about mental health (Minnesota Vikings official site). If you came for The Cure, you’re in the right place — but the football player’s story is worth knowing too.
What does Robert Smith’s wife do for a living?
Mary Poole is the rare person in Smith’s life who predates the fame. The couple met at school when both were around 14, and they married at Worth Abbey on August 13, 1988 (Wikipedia’s biography of Smith). A 1988 SPIN profile put the relationship at more than 13 years even before the wedding (SPIN’s March 1988 cover story).
Who is Robert Smith’s wife?
- Mary Theresa Poole, a graphic designer who has been involved in The Cure’s management and visual identity for decades.
- The couple have no children; Smith told SPIN in 1988 that he considered parenthood too much responsibility for him at that time (SPIN profile).
How old was Robert Smith when he got married?
Born: April 21, 1959 · Wedding: August 13, 1988 · Age at wedding: 29
Smith was 29 years old. The marriage has stayed out of the tabloids ever since — no scandals, no separations, no drama for the gossip pages.
A marriage that began before The Cure’s first album still holds. In a career defined by lineup changes and public feuds, that continuity is the quiet counterweight to the chaos.
The pattern: the stranger Smith’s stage persona got, the steadier his private life stayed.
Was Robert Smith a good football player?
Before the music, there was football. Smith grew up in Crawley, played the game as a teenager, and has described himself as a longtime Queens Park Rangers supporter. QPR’s Stan Bowles was a childhood idol; sharing a curry with Bowles later became, by Smith’s own account, a personal highlight (NME’s 2024 interview).
Did Robert Smith play football professionally?
- No. Football stayed a love, not a path.
- His professional life went to the band instead — a trade-off he has never seemed to regret.
The trade-off: Smith swapped the pitch for the stage and, by his own telling, never looked back.
Are Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst friends?
The short answer: it’s complicated. Lol Tolhurst was The Cure’s original drummer and one of Smith’s closest childhood friends. After Tolhurst left the band in the late 1980s, the split curdled into a royalties lawsuit. For years, the two didn’t speak. They later reconciled, though neither discusses the friendship in public detail.
Who did Robert Smith try to kiss?
- During Smith’s early days with Siouxsie and the Banshees, he reportedly tried to kiss Siouxsie Sioux and was rebuffed.
- The story has become part of the band’s folklore, and Smith has retold it with a mix of embarrassment and humor.
Why did Robert Smith leave Siouxsie?
- The standard explanation is creative differences: Smith was part of The Cure while also playing with the Banshees, and the double role didn’t last.
- His own accounts have varied over the years, which is why the full story stays in the “unclear” column.
Friendship timelines in rock are rarely public record. What’s confirmed is a lawsuit and a reconciliation; what’s unconfirmed is the day-to-day reality of their relationship now.
What this means: the Tolhurst saga is the clearest proof that Smith handles personal conflict privately — and lets the music do the explaining.
What was Robert Smith diagnosed with?
The most concrete health episode in Smith’s public biography came in 2016, when he underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his jaw (Wikipedia’s biography of Smith). The tumor was not cancer; Smith recovered and returned to performing.
Over the years, he has also spoken about anxiety and the emotional weight of performing under a persona that never blinks.
Is Robert Smith sober now?
- Smith has said he is not a heavy drinker.
- He has not publicly confirmed complete sobriety.
- Headlines claiming “sober now” go beyond what he has actually said.
On the questions that matter most to fans — sobriety, politics, old friendships — the honest answer is: we don’t know. Smith has kept those parts of his life deliberately out of focus.
The pattern: the bigger the stage persona, the more measured the real-world disclosures.
Key dates in Robert Smith’s life
Four dates, one arc: a band, a marriage, a health scare, and a career that’s still running.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Forms The Cure with school friends |
| 1988 | Marries Mary Poole at Worth Abbey |
| 2016 | Undergoes surgery for a benign jaw tumor |
| 2024 | Still fronting The Cure, with the band active (NME’s 2024 interview) |
The early entries follow Smith’s biography as documented in the sources cited above; the 2024 entry reflects the band’s continued activity as reported by NME. Pattern: revolution on the surface, remarkable continuity underneath.
Robert Smith: memories and one-liners
In the March 1988 SPIN cover story, Smith described parenthood as a responsibility he wasn’t ready to take on at the time.
— Robert Smith, quoted in SPIN’s 1988 cover story
Smith recalled sharing a curry with QPR’s Stan Bowles as a genuine personal highlight.
— Robert Smith, in a 2024 NME interview
Tolhurst has written about the pain of the band’s fracture and the long, slow process of rebuilding trust with Smith.
— Lol Tolhurst, from his autobiography
The nickname Siouxsie used for Smith during their Banshees years — “Boris” — later surfaced in a BBC interview with her.
— Siouxsie Sioux, in a BBC interview
Read together, these voices show a man who is by turns playful, guarded, and fiercely loyal — rarely boring.
The takeaway
Robert Smith has spent nearly five decades as one of rock’s most recognizable frontmen, and the public facts are easy to find: the band, the marriage, the surgery, the football loyalty. The parts that stay blurry — politics, habits, friendships — are blurry on purpose. For fans, the implication is clear: enjoy the music, respect the privacy, and don’t mistake the smeared lipstick for the person underneath.
Frequently asked questions
Who did Robert Smith try to kiss?
The story goes that a young Smith tried to kiss Siouxsie Sioux during his time with the Banshees and was rebuffed. Smith has retold it as an awkward youth anecdote.
Why did Robert Smith leave Siouxsie?
The standard account is creative differences. Smith’s own explanations have shifted over the years, so the full story remains partly unclear.
What did Siouxsie Sioux call Robert Smith?
“Boris.” The nickname dates from their Banshees collaboration, and she confirmed it in a BBC interview.
Does Robert Smith support Donald Trump?
There is no clear public record of Smith supporting Trump; his current political views are one of the open questions about his private life.
What is Robert Smith’s personal life like?
Deliberately private. He has been married to Mary Poole since 1988, has no children, and keeps his off-stage life out of the spotlight.
These answers cover the most common curiosities about Smith’s private life, none of which he has fully opened to public scrutiny.
Related reading
- Danny Elfman: Biography, Allegations & Profile 2025
- Roy Orbison: Tragedies, Sunglasses, and Hidden Mysteries
These profiles offer further insight into other iconic musicians with layered personal stories.
Daniel Harper is Editor-in-Chief at Coast Monitor, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.