British guitarist Keith Levene, who co-founded punk rock bands The Clash and Public Image Ltd, died on November 11 at the age of 65, his friend, author Adam Hammond announced on Saturday.
"There is no doubt that Keith was one of the most innovative, daring and influential guitarists of all time"
, he hailed on Twitter.
Keith Levene had remained less than three months with the Clash, of which he was, at 18, one of the founding members in the summer of 1976. Pushed towards the exit, he joined forces with John Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten, ex-singer of the Sex Pistols, to form Public Image Ltd.
Less ephemeral, this collaboration in turn came to an end in 1983. The musician had since been pursuing several solo or side projects.
He briefly worked with the Red Hot Chili Peppers early in their career.
According to the weekly
The Observer
, he died in Norfolk of liver cancer.
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Having fallen into relative obscurity for forty years, Keith Levene had been, in the mid-1970s, one of the pioneers of the punk movement, underlines the British press.
On tour with the Sex Pistols in mid-1976, he took part in the Flowers of Romance micro-experiment, notably with the enfant terrible Sid Vicious.
His curiosity pushed him at the end of the 1970s to tame the synthesizers, then popular with New Wave groups.
He draws from it the beginnings of the post-punk genre, whose sounds infuse the album
Metal Box,
released in 1979 by Public Image Ltd.
Drummer Martin Atkins paid tribute on Saturday to the disappearance of Keith Levene, with whom he had played in Public Image Ltd.
“We had some ups and downs that eased over time.
My respect for his unique talent will never change
,” he said on social media.
Solicited by media from across the Channel, the guitarist's family did not wish to speak.