Pub rocker Wilko Johnson dies aged 75
The Dr Feelgood star had previously been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Wilko Johnson, the singer-songwriter and Dr Feelgood guitarist, has died aged 75.
The musician found fame in the 1970s pub-rock band who helped pave the way for British punk, also enjoying a successful solo career.
Johnson was previously diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer in 2013 and was given just 10 months to live.
“Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday evening, 21st November 2022.
“Thank you for respecting Wilko’s family’s privacy at this very sad time, and thank you all for having been such a tremendous support throughout Wilko’s incredible life. RIP Wilko Johnson.”
However, later tests showed his cancer was not as aggressive as had been previously thought and an operation was offered as a chance to save his life.
After undergoing an 11-hour procedure which removed a tumour, his pancreas, spleen, parts of his stomach and intestines, and some blood vessels from around his liver, the musician was declared cancer-free.
In an interview with The Northern Echo newspaper in 2019, he said: “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 really fit.”
In the book, he also said he found joy in literature but, after realising he was never going to cut it as a poet, he discovered music.
He graduated from Newcastle University before travelling around India, then returned to Essex to work as an English teacher.
He then had a lengthy solo career playing with The Wilko Johnson Band.
Johnson also appeared in TV hit Game Of Thrones as the mute Lannister executioner Ser Ilyn Payne.
