The rock world recently lost another musician who contributed to the development of guitar playing: Keith Levene. The late Clash guitarist, who re-coded the language of punk rock during his nearly 40 years on stage, died on November 11 at age 65. Levine’s death was announced by his writer friend Adam Hammond on his social media account.
“It is with great sadness I report that my close friend and legendary Public Image Limited guitarist Keith Levene passed away on Friday, November 11,” wrote Hammond, sharing the news of his close friend’s death with sadness. “There is no doubt that Keith was one of the most innovative, audacious, and influential guitarists of all time.”
Levene’s battle with liver cancer had been going on for some time. However, his death was still unexpected. Levene was one of the names who initiated the founding of Clash when he was only 18 years old; however, he left the band before their first record and didn’t get a chance to experience their breakthrough.
After the Clash, he played with the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. In all these bands, Levene was simply exploring the possible limits of the guitar with great dexterity. It was certainly not an exaggeration for Hammond to describe his close friend as one of the ‘most innovative, audacious, and influential guitarists.’ With his distinctive tones, Keith Levene became one of the re-inventors of post-punk and left a great legacy behind.
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.
There is no doubt that Keith was one of the most innovative, audacious and influential guitarists of all time.
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— Adam Hammond (@adthedoor) November 12, 2022
