'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Popular guitarist, singer, and actor Wilko Johnson passed away on November 21 at the age of 75. A statement was posted on his Twitter account, announcing his death and asking for privacy for the family.
Johnson died at his residence and the cause of death has not yet been revealed. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2013 but decided not to undergo chemotherapy and was given only nine to ten months to live.
It was later revealed that he had a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and had to undergo radical surgery. He accepted the Icon Award at the 2014 Q Awards and disclosed that he was cancer free after he underwent an 11-hour operation where a 3 kg tumour was removed from his body.
Wilko Johnson portrayed Ser Ilyn Payne in Game of Thrones
Wilko Johnson was well-known as a singer-songwriter and guitaris. However, he gained recognition for his appearance as the mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne in the HBO fantasy drama series, Game of Thrones.
Before the events of the show, King Aerys II Targaryen had ordered Ser Payne's tongue to be cut out. Ser Ilyn Payne was a skilled headsman and always needed a second stroke to complete his charges. He executed Lord Eddard Stark after his downfall and was Jaime’s sparring partner in A Feast for Crows.
The character appeared in the first and second seasons of the show and was cast by the producers after they saw him in Oil City Confidential. According to Johnson, the makers wanted someone "really sinister who went around looking daggers at people before killing them." He added that it made it easy as "looking daggers at people" is what he always did and called it his second nature.
Ser Ilyn Payne appeared in four episodes – The Kingsroad, Baelor, Fire and Blood, and Backwater.
Game of Thrones aired for eight seasons, with a total of 73 episodes from April 17, 2011 to May 19, 2019. It led to a prequel, House of the Dragon, which was released on August 21, 2022.
Wilko Johnson was a member of the band Dr. Feelgood
Born on July 12, 1947, Wilko Johnson was a member of various local bands. He finished his graduation from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and traveled to India. He returned to Essex to play with the Pigboy Charlie Band and the band’s name was later changed to Dr. Feelgood.
Dr. Feelgood signed their first record deal and released four albums between 1975 and 1977 – Down by the Jetty, Malpractice, Stupidity, and Sneakin’ Suspicion. Stupidity and Sneakin’ Suspicion managed to reach the top of the charts. Wilko quit the band in 1977 after some disagreement about Sneakin’ Suspicion’s singles.
Johnson was one of the founding members of Solid Senders and the band joined Virgin in 1978. The band’s self-titled album was released the same year, and Wilko then joined another band, The Blockheads, in 1980.
Wilko appeared in a documentary film, Oil City Confidential, released in 2009 and his autobiography, Looking Back at Me, was published in 2012. He then appeared in two more documentaries – Evidently… John Cooper Clarke and Punk Britannia. In 2013, he announced that he had terminal cancer but continued to perform at several events.
Johnson is survived by his two sons – Matthew and Simon. He was married to Irene Knight, who passed away from cancer in 2004.
