Founding The Damned Guitarist Brian James Dead At 70

8:54 PM EST on March 6, 2025

Brian James, founding guitarist of the Damned, has died. No cause of death has been shared, though he passed peacefully with his family by his side. He was 70.

The musician's official Facebook page wrote, "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James." It continued:

Founding member of the Damned, writer of the first ever UK punk single, "New Rose," Brian was the principal songwriter of the band’s debut album, Damned Damned Damned, which was released in February 1977. Parting ways with the Damned following the release of their second album, the Nick Mason-produced Music For Pleasure, Brian created the short-lived Tanz Der Youth, before he formed the Lords Of The New Church with his friend and fellow rocker Stiv Bators.
In a wave of excitement, headed by the twin powers of Brian James and Stiv Bators, three successful studio albums followed for the Lord Of The New Church, spawning singles such as "Open Your Eyes," "Dance With Me," and "Method To My Madness." Always looking for new challenges and keen to work with different musicians, over the years that followed, Brian formed the Dripping Lips and guested on different records, while creating the Brian James Gang and working on his solo albums.
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. Most recently, more than four decades after the release of the epoch-making "New Rose," the original members of the Damned reformed for a series of very special and emotional UK shows in 2022.
With his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side, Brian passed peacefully on Thursday 6th March 2025.

Brian James was born Brian Robertson in February 1955. He played in proto-punk bands like London SS and the Subterraneans as well as a glam rock band called Bastard before forming the Damned in 1976 with lead vocalist Dave Vanian, bassist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. James wrote most of the material on the group’s first two albums — Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure — and departed in 1977.

He later formed the ephemeral band Tanz Der Youth with Andy Colqhoun on bass, Hawkwind and Chicken Shack's Alan Powell on drums, and former Iron Maiden member Tony Moore on keyboards, and they toured with Black Sabbath. In 1979, James performed in Iggy Pop's solo touring band.

In 1981, he started the supergroup the Lords Of The New Church with Stiv Bators (ex-the Dead Boys), bassist Dave Tregunna (ex-Sham 69), and drummer Nick Turner (ex-the Barracudas). They shared three LPs before disbanding in 1989.