Brian James, founding member of the iconic British band The Damned, has reportedly been granted his dying wish of being buried at sea.
James passed away on March 6 at the age of 70.
The news was announced in a post on his Facebook page, immediately receiving an outpouring of support from fans in the comments.
A cause of death has not been revealed, although he died ‘peacefully’ with his family by his side, according to the post.
The post read: ‘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.’
According to The Sun, James was buried last week on the sea floor off the coast of Newhaven, East Sussex, England, in accordance with his final wishes.
His widow Minna, son, Charlie, and around 10 of his closest friends were in attendance at the unorthodox funeral ceremony.
Minna told the publication: ‘It was a beautiful day and the sea was calm. We’ve been together since I was 18, so it was very emotional. A burial at sea is pretty unusual, but it was in his will so we had to do it.’
Another source told The Sun: ‘Brian now sleeps with the fishes, which is what he wished for before he died. He was a true original in life and has carried that on in death.
‘The spirit of punk never left him and he was adamant he wanted his final resting place to be at sea. A few loved ones went out on the boat for around three hours and watched as his coffin was dropped into the drink.’
The initial ‘burial’ ceremony, which took place on a boat, was followed by an additional gathering at a church near James’ home in Brighton.
James had a long and impressive career that included writing the iconic song New Rose.
On 22 October 1977, five weeks before the release of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K., Stiff Records released the Damned’s first single New Rose, making it the first-ever punk single in the UK.
Released in February 1977, James was also the primary creative force behind the band’s debut album, Damned Damned Damned.
The Damned was founded in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist (and later guitarist) Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies.
Considered pioneers of the genre, nine of the band’s singles charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
With a career that closely mirrored the Sex Pistols (they even planned to audition Sid Vicious as lead vocalist) The Damned played their first show on 6 July 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club.
After the band’s second album, James left the band to form the group Tanz Der Youth, which only lasted a short time before he founded The Lords of the New Church with Stiv Bators.
The band was known for songs like Open Your Eyes, Dance with Me, and Method to My Madness.
Other bands the talented guitarist helmed over the years included The Dripping Lips and the Brian James Gang.
He was also a successful solo artist and worked with punk and rock icons like Iggy Pop (who he toured with as Iggy’s guitarist in 1979), Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland, and Cheetah Chrome throughout his six-decade career.
Back in March, Brian’s ex-Damned bandmate Raymond ‘Captain Sensible’ Burns posted a tribute online, sharing a photo of himself with Brian on X.
Burns wrote: ‘We’re shocked to hear that creator of The Damned, our great chum Brian James has sadly gone. A lovely bloke that I feel so lucky to have met all those years ago and for some reason chose me to help in his quest for the music revolution that became known as punk.’
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