Killing Joke member Youth is paying tribute to guitarist Geordie Walker, who passed away on November 26th.
Killing Joke bassist and founding member Martin Glover, aka Youth, shared a gallery of photos of Geordie Walker on his Instagram account and paid tribute to the late guitarist in the caption. Walker died on November 26th after suffering a stroke.
“One of the best guitarists of all time”
The post shows two black and white photos of the young Killing Joke band members. Below, Glover explains he’s still in shock. But with the contribution he wanted to honor the man who had a great musical influence on him and also on the world. Not only does he call Geordie Walker his teacher, but he also celebrates his genius. Glover writes:
“He always seemed to me to be indestructible. Bullets ricocheted off him. […] No man was cooler than Geordie, one of the best and most influential guitarists of all time. He was a mix of Lee Van Cleef and Terry Thomas via Noel Coward. Very charming, inscrutable and kind, with a gentle, effortless manner (both on the guitar and in making you feel welcome). […]“
Killing Joke drummer Martin Atkins also shared a video on Facebook in which the deceased can be seen. Namely a clip from The Damage Manuals – an industrial supergroup in which they both also took part. In the accompanying caption, the drummer lets his followers know how shocked he is about the news of Walker’s death.
Killing Joke also made a social media post on November 27th in which they wrote that they were “devastated” by the news. Specifically, they say:
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that legendary Killing Joke guitarist Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker passed away from a stroke surrounded by his family on November 26, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. in Prague. We are devastated. Rest in peace brother.”
More about Killing Joke
Killing Joke were formed in Cheltenham, England in 1978 by Youth, Walker, Jaz Coleman and Paul Ferguson. Five years later the band had their breakthrough with the album NIGHT TIME. Walker and Coleman have been continuous members and have been reunited with founding members Ferguson and Youth since 2008, following various line-up changes over the years.