Killing Joke Guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker Passed Away at 64
In a bit of sad news over the weekend, Kevin “Geordie” Walker, guitarist of famous post-punk pioneer Killing Joke, passed away in Prague at the age of 64.
According to an Instagram post, his death was the result of a massive stroke that happened Friday. His bandmates took to their respective socials to express their grief over the loss of their bandmate.
“It is with extreme sadness we confirm that at 6:30am on 26th November 2023 in Prague, Killing Joke’s legendary guitarist Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker passed away after suffering a stroke, he was surrounded by family. We are devastated. Rest In Peace brother.”
The band’s former drummer Martin Atkins, who’d been in the band back in the 80s, also made a Facebook post on Sunday saying he was “gutted” about the loss. Atkins was also in another band with Walker, supergroup The Damage Manual, and had shared the stage with Walker for years.
Similarly, Walker’s close friend Luca Signorelli was the one to confirm the news that Walker had passed. Describing him as one of his closest friends, Signorelli shared some kind words about the guitarist.
“This morning I got a phone call, telling me that Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker had died few hours ago in Prague, following a massive stroke last Friday … I don’t remember even one moment Geordie was around that was awkward or boring. Geordie had a reputation for being abrasive and sometimes curt with people who tried to approach him, but the reality is that he didn’t want to waste his time with people he didn’t like. And ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ was for Geordie entirely a matter of instinct.”
Walker initially joined Killing Joke in the late ’70s after being recruited by original drummer Paul Feruson and lead vocalist Jaz Coleman to complete their lineup at the time, alongside bassist Martin “Youth” Glover.
The band released their iconic, self-titled debut album in October 1980, before going on to release 15 albums over the course of their career. Their most recent release came in 2003 with their second self-titled release and they’ve been actively touring in recent years.
Killing Joke inspired generations of punk and metal, and Walker’s contributions to music will not be forgotten. Our hearts go out to his friends and family right now during this difficult time.
