Celebrity Death Thread

Killing Joke guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker’s influence is vast: Metallica attempted to emulate his guitar snarl on their cover of “The Wait”; Kurt Cobain admittedly ripped off his riff to “Eighties” for “Come As You Are”; LCD Soundsystem synthesized his riff on “Change” and turned it into “Losing My Edge.” Other artists who praised Walker’s playing and Killing Joke include Jimmy Page, Trent Reznor, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields, and all of Faith No More. Yet Walker himself never became a household name before his death on Sunday at age 64, which Killing Joke announced on social media.

“It is with extreme sadness we confirm that at 6:30 am on 26th November 2023 in Prague, Killing Joke’s legendary guitarist Kevin ‘Geordie’ Walker passed away after suffering a stroke,” their message said. “He was surrounded by family. We are devastated. Rest In Peace brother.”

“No man was cooler than Geordie, one of the very best and most influential guitarists ever,” the band’s bassist, Martin “Youth” Glover,” wrote in an Instagram post after Walker’s death was announced. He was like Lee Van Cleef meets Terry Thomas via Noel Coward. Very charming, inscrutable and gracious, with a gentle effortless touch, (both on the guitar and making you feel welcome) that is, when he wasn’t shredding you with his razor-sharp articulate shrapnel.”