Kevin “Geordie” Walker, longtime English guitarist of the punk-rock group Killing Joke, has died at 64-years-old.
According to the band, Walker passed away on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. in Prague, two days after suffering from a stroke.
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“He was surrounded by family,” the band said in an Instagram post. “We are devastated. Rest in peace brother.”
Former Killing Joke drummer Martin Atkins also responded to the news, noting: “Geordie Walker has left the building.”
Walker, the founding guitarist of Killing Joke, helped form the group alongside drummer Paul Ferguson and singer Jaz Coleman in Notting Hill, London. The band came out swinging with their debut Turn to Red in 1979, followed by their breakthrough self-titled sophomore LP. The latter featured hits like “Requiem” and “The Wait” which went on to be covered by big-name acts like Foo Fighters and Metallica, respectively.
Throughout their career spanning across more than 40 years, Killing Joke released 15 albums. Their most recent LP, Pylon, was released in 2015. Earlier this year, they returned with the single “Full Spectrum Dominance.”
Walker was widely known for his unique musicality; he made noise in the industry for tuning his guitar a whole tone lower than the standard, creating an aggressive and hard-to-forget sound.
