He died at the age of 64. His bandmates “are devastated.”
As Killing Joke announced on Instagram on Sunday, November 26th, guitarist Geordie Walker has died as a result of a stroke at the age of 64.
The British post-punk rock band writes: “It is with great sadness that we confirm that legendary Killing Joke guitarist Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker died of a stroke in Prague on November 26, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. surrounded by his family died. We are devastated. Rest in peace brother.”
Geordie Walker and Killing Joke
Walker co-founded Killing Joke in 1979. In September of the same year, the group released their first EP, TURN TO RED. And his aggressive guitar playing was clearly audible on this first release. In an interview with “Metal Assault” from 2013, Geordie Walker also described what changes the development of the albums would bring to his guitar style: “I’m starting to play with a little less force in the right hand […] And there aren’t as many strings breaking anymore.”
The northeastern “Geordie” accent
Geordie Walker – actually Kevin Walker – was born in England in December 1958. When he was 14, his family moved from Newcastle to Bletchley in Buckinghamshire – during this time he was nicknamed Geordie, due to his north-eastern “Geordie” accent.
When he decided to learn to play the guitar, there was nothing else for him. He told Music UK in a 1984 interview: “I ran home from school at four o’clock, locked myself in the bedroom, turned the amp up to full blast and blasted the tube until my father came in. It was a daily ritual.”
American TV presenter, DJ and music manager Matthiew Pinfield also expressed his sadness over Walker’s death via Instagram: “His songs and massive riffs as founding guitarist of Killing Joke are so popular and influential – they are covered by everyone from Metallica to the Foo Fighters. Jimmy Page was a fan. Kurt Cobain borrowed one of his riffs. He was a gentleman and we had a great time. We’ll miss you, dude.”