Patrick Walden, the former lead guitarist in the British rock band Babyshambles, has died, according to a joint statement his bandmates posted on social media. “It is with deep regret and sadness that we share the news of Patrick Walden’s death,” wrote Babyshambles members Pete Doherty, Mick Whitnall, Drew McConnell, and Adam Ficek. “We feel very fortunate to have known/loved and worked with him and we kindly ask for respect and privacy during these difficult times.” Walden was 46.
Born on October 5, 1978 in London, England, Walden didn’t grow attached to music until later in his childhood; after receiving a Michael Jackson cassette from a classmate in middle school, he studiously read the library’s copies of The 100 Greatest Albums books and obsessed over Television, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana. Once 18, Walden got a job working at Camden Jazz Café where he assisted jazz artists who headlined the venue, including Herbie Hancock, Alice Coltrane, and Gil Scott Heron. Surrounded by professional musicians at work, he started playing guitar more seriously with other people in London’s music scene. Once Walden turned 21, he worked his way through other industry jobs in the city and played in a range of bands, including Fluid, the Six Cold Thousand, and the White Sport.
When singer-guitarist Pete Doherty was booted from the Libertines in mid-2003 to address his substance abuse problems, Doherty started the new indie rock and post-punk band Babyshambles with his former bandmate Steve Bedlow. One arrest later, Doherty recorded Babyshambles first single and rejoined the Libertines in spring 2004. Come that summer, Doherty was kicked out of the band once again, and turned his full attention towards Babyshambles, this time bringing onboard Walden on lead guitar, Gemma Clarke on drums, Jamie Perrett on guitar, and Peter Perrett Jr. on bass to play shows.
After some lineup changed, Babyshambles released their second single, “Killamangiro,” in November 2004 while touring Britain, and the song climbed to No. 8 on the UK singles chart. At the start of 2005, Babyshambles’ roster went through more changes, but Walden stayed and focused on writing songs with Doherty. The band recorded their debut album, Down in Albion, that spring with Mick Jones of the Clash. The LP claimed a spot in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart upon release in November 2005, thanks in part to its massive singles “Fuck Forever” and “Albion.” Walden injected a bit of noise into his playing style with the group, citing guitarists J Mascis, Thurston Moore, and Jimi Hendrix as influences.