The Damned founder Brian James dead at 70
Brian James, the founding guitarist of UK punk band The Damned, has died aged 70, his family reports.
No official details surrounding his cause of death have been shared, but it was noted that he passed away with his family around him.
An official statement penned by his family that was published on the guitarist’s official Facebook page read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James.”
It continued: “Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six decades, with his music also gracing film and television soundtracks, in addition to the Damned and the Lords Of The New Church, Brian worked with a plethora of punk and rock ‘n’ roll’s finest, from Iggy Pop to Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland to Cheetah Chrome.”
The Damned formed in London in 1976, and were the first UK punk act to release a single with the song ‘New Rose’. While the single didn’t chart, they managed to reach the UK Top 40 a total of nine times in their career, with tracks such as ‘Love Song’ and ‘Smash It Up’ being among their most successful.
In addition to playing with The Damned, he was an active part of many other punk-adjacent acts in London, having also been a member of London SS, the Subterraneans and Bastard prior to forming the Damned. He would later enjoy spells with other punk groups such as Tanz Der Youth and Lords Of The New Church.
James reunited with the other original members, Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible in 2022 for a series of performances, marking the first time in over 20 years that the original lineup had all performed together.
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