Former Babyshambles guitarist Patrick Walden has died at the age of 46, the band have announced on social media.
‘It is with deep regret and sadness that we share the news of Patrick Walden’s death,’ the band’s official Facebook page wrote in a statement on Friday evening.
‘We feel very fortunate to have known, loved and worked with him and we kindly ask for respect and privacy during these difficult times. Peter, Drew, Mik, Adam.’
The cause of death has not been confirmed.
Walden – who also played for James Blunt – joined the Kilimanjaro hitmakers in 2004 as the lead guitarist alongside Libertines frontman Pete Doherty, after he was ousted from The Libertines.
He also co-wrote many Babyshambles hits, including six of the sixteen tracks on the band’s debut album Down in Albion.
In 2006 Walden left the Babyshambles when he failed to join their UK tourafter being charged with assaulting his girlfriend in their North London home, which he was later cleared of.
Prior to joining the Babyshambles, Walden was in a number of London bands including Fluid, the Six Cold Thousand and White Sport.
Pete – who is due to perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury with The Libertines in a week’s time – once described Walden as ‘the best guitar player I ever worked with’.
Fans have shares their tributes online, as Rick Simpson wrote: ‘Can’t believe this. Absolute genius on the guitar, Babyshambles were at their peak with Pat. But more importantly a genuine lovely guy. Down in Albion will always be a masterpiece to me.’
Karl Gibbs said: ‘Totaly destroyed me this. Very sad to hear this. He was a brilliant guitarist and was hoping he would be coming back in babyshambles. Watched some of his videos recently and thought brilliant hes back. Rip pat.’
‘Very sad news,’ added Christopher Jones, continuing: ‘Quite the unique guitarist and, especially, his touch on Down In Albion will never be forgotten by those who love the band.’
In December 2024, Pete said that a Babyshambles reunion could be on the cards for their debut album’s 20th anniversary.
He told NME at the time: ‘It is on the cards. We will get back together and get in a room with the instruments and play through the old songs, then get on stage and do it.
‘But it’s the “who” and the “when” that needs to be worked out. I think we’ll just keep that one on the horizon and deal with that one next year.’
In a 2017 interview with The Express, Walden talked about how he got into playing the guitar during a discussion about his years of herion and cocaine addiction.
Aged 13 Walden’s estranged dad gave him a guitar and a book of Eric Clapton songs.
‘It became my whole focus. My school work fell away,’ he told the outlet.
By 2014, Walden was clean of heroin and cocaine, but became addicted to synthetic ‘designer’ drugs bought online, which he campaigned against.
In February 2016, Walden was found by neighbours at the bottom of a flight of concrete steps near his North London home.
Former Babyshambles rummer Adam Ficek and Liam Gallagher’s guitarist Mike Moore crowdfunded him treatment at The Cabin celebrity rehab centre in Thailand, where Pete had visited before.
‘The Cabin changed everything for me. The staff went above and beyond to help. I would be dead without them and now I feel I am starting my life all over again,’ he told the outlet.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
For more stories like this, check our entertainment page.
Follow Metro.co.uk Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.