Short answers, pulled from the story.
Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. The original lineup was Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Vince Clarke, who first performed together as a four-piece on the 14th of June 1980 at Nicholas School in Basildon.
Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode in November 1981, citing discomfort with the band's direction and exhaustion from the demands of touring, interviews, and photo sessions. He went on to form Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet and later formed Erasure.
Violator, released in 1990, was the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, stayed on the chart for 74 weeks, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Depeche Mode have sold more than 100 million records worldwide. They have also played live to more than 35 million fans and charted 54 singles in the UK singles chart.
Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the 7th of November 2020. During the ceremony, Coldplay's Chris Martin remarked that sonically the band were "about throwing away all the rulebooks."
Andy Fletcher died on the 26th of May 2022, aged 60, after suffering an aortic dissection while at home. Following his death, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore continued as a duo and released the album Memento Mori in 2023.