British folk icon Wizz Jones dead at 86
Wizz Jones, an underrated icon of the British folk scene for the past six decades, has died at the age of 86, his family has confirmed.
In a statement posted on Facebook on April 27th, the singer’s son Simeon Jones confirmed that his father had been in poor health for a few months but that he passed away peacefully in a hospice two days after his 86th birthday.
The statement added: “His loss has left a huge hole in the lives of our family and has robbed the music world of one of its precious treasures.”
Jones became a stalwart of the British folk scene in the late 1960s, inspired by both the skiffle movement as well as American exports like the Beat Generation and Woody Guthrie, on whom he modelled his trademark long hair.
Across his career, Jones had a keen passion for collaborating with other artists and also never gave up touring, even as his health declined. His last performance took place at the Ivy House in London on February 28th, 2025.
Regarding this, his son noted that his final words to the audience at that concert were: “Thanks to all the people – all over the world in fact – that heard my songs and my guitar playing, and came to my gigs for all those years. Thank you very much.”
He added: “Wizz was worried about disappointing the audience with his now weak singing voice, but even more worried about letting them down by not showing up…Spoiler alert – it’s a bit of a tear-jerker. I hope his wonderful music will live on and continue to make the world a richer place.”
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