Photo: Graham Harries/Shutterstock
Public Image Ltd. and Clash guitarist Keith Levene has died at the age of 65, according to his family and former bandmates.
Hammond wrote that Levene, a man he considered “one of the most innovative, audacious and influential guitarists of all time,” died on Nov. 11. Levene’s former bandmates have since paid their respects as well.
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“So much of what we listen to today owes much to Keith’s work, some of it acknowledged, most of it not … The world is a darker place without his genius. Mine will be darker without my mate,” Hammond said in part via social media.
Alongside Jah Wobble and Lydon, PiL’s work is often looked at as influential in the post-punk era following the releases of their 1978 debutPublic Image: First Issue, 1979’sMetal Box, and 1981’sFlowers of Romance. He left the band in 1983 over creative differences, specifically on their fourth studio album,This Is What You Want… This Is What You Get.
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“There was a lot of vitriol, but it was a magic time and I wouldn’t swap any of it,” Levene toldThe Guardianin 2012. “People said Metal Box was avant-garde, but we didn’t expect that in 30-odd years' time people would be talking about a seminal record. It cost us £33,000 of our advance to put it out as three 12-inch singles in a tin shaped like a pill! Now it’s a collector’s item.”
Levene released several solo records toward the end of his career andinvested heavily in Bitcoinin later years.
Atkins also honored his old friend Saturday, and shared memories of the group on Twitter, specifically retweeting an image of the band from 1980 and calling his fellow PiL bandmate a “guitar giant.”
“A sad time to learn of the passing of guitar giant Keith Levene,” he wrote. “We had our ups and downs that had mellowed over time. My respect for his unique talent never will.@pilofficial”
source: people.com
