LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — Keith Levene, a founding member of The Clash and Public Image Ltd. died on November 11th. He was 65.
His passing was announced on social media by his partner, Kate Ransford, and his longtime friend, author Adam Hammond.
“RIP keith Levene My beloved partner who passed away at our home on 11/11/22 peacefully, pain free, cosy n well loved. He was an iconic guitarist and composer my best friend, my love, my everything, I love you to the moon,” Ransford wrote.
Ransford did not share information about a cause of death for Levene, but The Guardian reported that he was suffering from liver cancer at the time of his passing.
Born in London in 1957, Levene’s first industry job was a gig as a roadie for progressive rock legends Yes, but was persuaded by Rick Wakeman to pursue a career as a musician instead of hauling gear.
When he was 16, Levene, Mick Jones, and his manager Bernard Rhodes recruited Joe Strummer to join them in forming The Clash with the band debuting in 1976.
However, Levene’s tenure with The Clash was brief and he quickly exited the group to form Public Image Limited the Sex Pistols’ John Lydon.
Levene left PIL in 1983 over creative differences with the other members of the group and went on to assist engineers Steve Catania and Dan Nebenzal in producing demos for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He was also a frequent collaborator with PiL bassist Jah Wobble and the industrial rock supergroup PigFace.
As well, he recorded multiple solo albums, including Violent Opposition (1989) and Commercial Zone 2014, which he self-released in 2014.
