Babyshambles legend dies aged 46 as band pays tribute to rockstar

Babyshambles have confirmed the death of former guitarist Patrick Walden at the age of 46.

The band announced the news in a heartfelt statement shared to their official Facebook page on Friday (20 June) night.

"It is with deep regret and sadness that we share the news of Patrick Walden's death," the post read. "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 band have not shared a cause of death for their former bandmate.

Patrick rose to fame as the guitarist of Babyshambles, performing alongside frontman Pete Doherty, bassist Drew McConnell, and drummer Gemma Clarke.

The group came together in 2004 after Doherty's highly publicised split from The Libertines, and released their debut 7" single later that year.

Before joining Babyshambles, Patrick had already made his mark on the music scene, playing with bands including Fluid, The Six Cold Thousand, and The White Sport. He even did a stint as a session guitarist for James Blunt.

Tributes flooded in following news of his passing, with fans and friends quick to share their heartbreak. "This is such sad news. Bless you, Pat. We are all going to miss you. Rest in peace my lovely man," one wrote.

Another said: "THE best guitarist of his generation, such an exciting and original person to watch. RIP."

Others recalled his generosity and talent, with one message reading: "You're gonna be missed Pat, best guitarist we ever met, one of the good guys. Rest in peace mate x."

Someone else added: "His playing on Down In Albion made that album the chaotic, beautiful masterpiece it was. The frantic playing on Fuck Forever and 8 Dead Boys moulded my playing as a guitarist. Such a shame the original line-up with him playing never came back around. Love to all the Babyshambles family and especially Patricks family xxx"

Another user wrote: "Hits Hard this one, an incredibly talented guitarist and musician.. just Sad- RIP Pat x"

One devastated fan of Patrick's added: "Totaly destroyed me this. Very sad to hear thisg 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."