KILLING JOKE Guitarist KEVIN 'GEORDIE' WALKER Dead At 64

**UPDATE**: KILLING JOKE has issued a statement on Kevin "Geordie" Walker's passing, writing: "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 original article follows below.

KILLING JOKE guitarist Kevin "Geordie" Walker reportedly died earlier today (Sunday, November 26) in Prague, Czech Republic, two days after suffering a massive stroke. He was 64 years old.

The news of Walker's passing was confirmed by his close friend Luca Signorelli, who wrote on his Facebook page: "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."

Calling Geordie "the closest friend and most important person I've ever had outside my family," Signorelli wrote in part: "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."

KILLING JOKE's Martin Atkins also confirmed Geordie's death by sharing a video of THE DAMAGE MANUEL's "Laugh Track" with the caption "gutted". In the comments section, Atkins wrote "Geordie has passed". He also later posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, writing: "#GodBless Geordie Walker".

KILLING JOKE emerged in the post-punk early 1980s, their eponymous debut album exhibiting funky heavy rock influences before electronic and synth-pop styles also filtered through their music. They would, in turn, influence later generations including METALLICA, NIRVANA and SOUNDGARDEN. "Love Like Blood" would give KILLING JOKE their greatest commercial success, a hit across Europe, peaking at No. 16 in the U.K. singles chart in 1985.

Walker and Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards) had been ever-constant members of the lineup and had been reunited with fellow founding members Paul Ferguson (drums) and Martin "Youth" Glover (bass) since 2008.

In a 2006 interview with MTV, Coleman stated about Walker: "Working with Geordie Walker — he's a magic player. It's my deepest pleasure to have spent more years with him and more time with him than my own blood[-related] brother."

A decade ago, Walker told Metal Assault about how his guitar playing style has evolved over the years: "I just found the right instrument pretty early in the game, which is a hollow body. It has a bit of a life of its own. I think I'm starting to play with a little less violence on the right hand, which has helped me a lot in definition, if you know what I mean, and not breaking as many strings either, touchwood. I used to snap the D strings and be spiteful with certain chords."

This past March, KILLING JOKE released a brand new single, "Full Spectrum Dominance", via Spinefarm to celebrate the band's sold-out headline show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The epic track was mixed by Tom Dalgety (GHOST, PIXIES, ROYAL BLOOD) and was accompanied by a remix from Youth and artwork by longtime designer Mike Coles.

Under the banner "Killing Joke - Follow The Leaders", KILLING JOKE performed its first two albums in their entirety at the Royal Albert Hall — 1980's self-titled debut LP followed by their second full-length, "What's This For…!"

This special event was preceded by four intimate warm-up shows, including an appearance at London's legendary 100 Club.