Brian James, the founding member of English punk rock band The Damned, passed away on Thursday (March 6) at the age of 70. The sad news was shared on James’ official Facebook page, which described him as “one of the true pioneers of music” and a “true gentleman,” while revealing that James died peacefully surrounded by his family. James started The Damned in 1976 with bandmates Captain Sensible, Dave Vanian, and Rat Scabies, and was the chief songwriter of the very first UK punk single, “New Rose.” After working on two albums, James left the group to form other bands like Tanz Der Youth and The Lords of the New Church. He eventually reunited with The Damned in 2022 for a string of celebrated U.K. live shows. Captain Sensible paid tribute to his former bandmate on X, writing: “We’re shocked to hear that creator of @thedamned, 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.” James is survived by his wife, Minna, his son, Charlie, and daughter-in-law, Alicia. (Billboard)