Iconic '70s Rocker Dead at 68
Iconic '70s Rocker Dead at 68
Jacqueline Burt CoteSat, January 17, 2026 at 1:00 AM UTC
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(Photo by Fin Costello on Getty Images)
Fans around the world are mourning the loss of one of the most influential figures of the '70s post-punk scene: Kenny Morris, the original drummer for legendary band Siouxsie and the Banshees, has died. He was 68 years old.
While no cause of death has been released at this time, the news was confirmed by a number of sources, including music journalist John Robb (a friend of Morris), according to Consequence.
Although Sid Vicious played one gig as drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees before joining the Sex Pistols, Morris was the first real drummer for the band and played on their first two albums, 1978’s The Scream and 1979’s Join Hands.
In 1979, Morris and guitarist John McKay left Siouxsie and the Banshees after an argument broke out among band members at an in-store record signing. The Slits' drummer Budgie replaced Morris and stayed with the band until 1996.
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After leaving the group, Morris went on to drum for the U.K. singer Helen Terry. He also branched out creatively, directing several short films and eventually moving to Ireland in the early '90s where he became and art teacher and ran a gallery.
As Stereogum reported, Morris helped to inspire a number of other notable drummers with his pioneering style, including Stephen Morris of Joy Division and New Order, and Lol Tolhurst of the Cure.
In his book Goth, Tolhurst raved about Morris, writing, "The Banshees as a band had a sort of monochromatic power that mostly came from Kenny Morris’s drums and John McKay’s guitar underpinned by Steven Severin’s bass pulse. It helped that the drums were big and black as most of the instruments were. No sunburst hippie instruments for the Banshees!"
In his later years, Morris started drumming again for the Dublin post-punk band Shrine of the Vampyre. During the pandemic, he also completed his memoir, which is slated for release sometime this year.
Related: Beloved '70s Rocker Dead at 79
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
