Keith Levene || 18 July 1957 — 11 November 2022

 Iconoclast and groundbreaking guitarist Keith Levene is dead at 65. . . . . . . . .

Founder member of The Clash and with John Lyndon and Jah Wobble a true musical innovator via PIL dies from cancer.

"There is no doubt that Keith was one of the most innovative, audacious and influential guitarists of all time"

still have my copy and thought (think) this album is wonderful

The Clash: original five piece lineup, featuring Keith Levene on guitar (r), 1976

NME announces Keith Levine death at 65

The news was broken by author and writer Adam Hammond, who revealed that Levene died on Friday (November 11).

“It is with great sadness I report that my close friend and legendary Public Image Limited guitarist Keith Levene passed away on Friday 11th November,” Hammond wrote.

“There is no doubt that Keith was one of the most innovative, audacious and influential guitarists of all time.”

The tribute continued: “Keith sought to create a new paradigm in music and with willing collaborators John Lydon and Jah Wobble succeeded in doing just that. His guitar work over the nine minutes of ‘Theme’, the first track on the first PiL album, defined what alternative music should be.

“As well as helping to make PiL the most important band of the age, Keith also founded The Clash with Mick Jones and had a major influence on their early sound. So much of what we listen to today owes much to Keith’s work, some of it acknowledged, most of it not.”