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Dr Feelgood Star Wilko Johnson Dies Aged 75

Calvin Croley
Dr Feelgood Star Wilko Johnson Dies

Dr Feelgood Star Wilko Johnson Dies

Dr. Feelgood star Wilko Johnson dies: A statement on official social media channels revealed that musician Wilko Johnson was away at 75.

The guitarist and songwriter had a great career with his band, The Wilko Johnson Band, as well as with the rock band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s and The Blockheads in the 1980s.

He worked with Roger Daltrey of The Who on the album Going Back Home after receiving what was previously believed to be a fatal cancer diagnosis in 2013. The album peaked at number three in the UK charts the following year.

He stated in an interview that he believed it to be the “final thing I ever did.”

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The famous television series Game of Thrones fans will also be familiar with him from his role as the mute Lannister executioner Ser Ilyn Payne.

Has Wilko Johnson Passed Away At Home Bcoz of Cancer?

On Monday, he passed away at home.

According to a statement on social media, “Wilko Johnson has passed away. This is the announcement we never wanted to make, and we do so on behalf of Wilko’s family and the band with a big heart. On Monday, November 21, 2022, he passed away at home in the evening.

“Thank you for respecting Wilko’s family’s privacy at this sorrowful time, and thank you all for such tremendous support throughout Wilko’s incredible life. RIP Wilko Johnson.”

Johnson previously received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, but in a 2019 interview with The Northern Echo, he stated: “It seems very unjust, but I’m in the clear and feeling pretty healthy other than I’m missing a pancreas, but apart from that I’m fit.”

Image source: Express

Before his passing, he recorded an interview for the Blues In the Night podcast, which was broadcast live until October.

The musician, born in 1947 on Canvey Island in Essex, graduated from Newcastle University, traveled through India, and then went back to work as an English teacher in Essex. Soon after, he started Dr. Feelgood, a pub-rock pioneering band that helped pave the way for punk.

Following his cancer diagnosis, he published two memoirs: Looking Back At Me (2012) and Don’t You Leave Me Here (2016). In both, he describes how he “accepted his impending death” by going on tour.

‘A presence we’d never beheld before’: Musicians pay tribute

Billy Bragg, a musician, called Johnson “a precursor of punk” and said of him: “His presence – twitchy, aggressive, out of control – was something we’d never beheld before in UK pop. His guitar playing was angry and angular. He taught Rotten, Strummer, and Weller extensively with his abrasive demeanor. He does it properly; RIP.

“Very sad to hear Wilko Johnson has passed away,” said Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, among those paying tribute. Many guitarists, including myself, were enthralled & inspired by his distinctive, electric playing & stage demeanor.

Graham Coxon of Blur referred to him as “one of my all-time tele heroes,” while Tim Burgess of The Charlatans merely wrote, “God speed Wilko.”

“So sorry at the demise of the great Wilko Johnson,” said broadcaster Bob Harris with a photo of the two. Dr. Feelgood performed their first-ever radio session on my @BBCR1 show a few days after I saw them for the first time at the Hope & Anchor in 1974.

“Wilko was unique. His energy and spirit were incredible.”

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