Ian Watkins, the former lead singer of Welsh rock band Lostprophets, has been killed in prison while serving a lengthy sentence for child sex offences. He was 48.
Watkins died on Saturday 11 October 2025 after being attacked at HM Prison Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. Emergency services were called to the prison at 9.39am following reports of a serious assault. Despite medical attention, Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed that two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody while investigations continue.
Watkins had been serving a 29-year prison sentence, with an additional six years on licence, after being convicted in 2013 on multiple counts of sexual assault and the attempted rape of a child. His conviction brought an end to Lostprophets, one of the most commercially successful Welsh rock bands of the early 2000s.
In 2013, Watkins pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13, conspiracy to rape, and possession of indecent images of children. The case shocked fans worldwide, with the sentencing judge describing the offences as “plumbing new depths of depravity.”
Watkins was previously targeted inside prison. In August 2023, he was stabbed and briefly taken hostage by three inmates, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Reports at the time indicated the attack may have been linked to disputes over contraband and debts.
Born Ian David Karslake Watkins in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales on 30 July 1977, he developed an early passion for music and studied graphic design at the University of Wales, Newport. Watkins and guitarist Mike Lewis formed several early bands before establishing Lostprophets in 1997.
Lostprophets were part of the British alternative rock and post-hardcore wave of the early 2000s, achieving major success with albums The Fake Sound Of Progress (2000), Start Something (2004), and Liberation Transmission (2006). Their blend of alternative rock, nu metal and melodic hooks drew comparisons with contemporaries like Linkin Park and Incubus.
The band’s commercial peak came with Start Something, which went platinum in the UK and produced hits such as Last Train Home, Burn Burn and Wake Up (Make A Move). Lostprophets also performed at major festivals including Reading and Leeds, and toured extensively across Europe, the US and Australia.
Despite their success, the band disbanded in 2013 shortly after Watkins’ arrest. His bandmates publicly condemned his actions and later formed a new group, No Devotion, with American vocalist Geoff Rickly from Thursday.
Watkins’ downfall remains one of the most disturbing criminal cases to involve a public figure from the UK music scene. Over the years, multiple police investigations criticised the failures of law enforcement to act on earlier warnings about his behaviour.
The singer’s later years in prison were marked by isolation and controversy. In 2019, Watkins received an additional ten months to his sentence for possessing a mobile phone in prison, which he claimed was forced upon him by other inmates.
The news of Watkins’ death has prompted renewed discussion around prison safety and the management of high-risk offenders. The Prison Service said it could not comment while police investigations are ongoing.
Lostprophets’ legacy remains complicated, the band’s music was critically praised and commercially successful, but Watkins’ crimes cast a permanent shadow over their achievements. His death at age 48 closes a chapter in one of the UK’s darkest intersections between fame, criminality, and abuse of power.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
