The Damned guitarist Brian James has died.

News of the English musician’s passing swept across social media earlier this evening – March 6th – before being confirmed on his official Facebook page. Brian James was 70 years old, and the note explains:

With his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side, Brian passed peacefully on Thursday 6th March 2025.

A key part of the mid 70s punk milieu in London, Brian James was drawn into the orbit of London SS and the Subterraneans, before formed The Damned. The group’s epic debut single ‘New Rose’ would help trigger an entire movement – arguably the first true punk release in this country, it remains a powerful, searing stripped back piece of guitar bedlam.

A hugely creative figure, Brian James wrote the bulk of the material on The Damned’s opening two studio albums, before departing in 1977.

The decades that followed saw the guitarist work with a number of different projects, with the official statement on his passing noting:

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.

In his late 60s the guitarist finally returned to the fold – Brian James rejoined The Damned for a series of inspired live shows in 2022, including a full British tour.