LONDON, Jan 17 — Kenny Morris, the original drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, has died at the age of 68, it was confirmed on Thursday. His cause of death has not been disclosed.
Morris was part of the band’s raw, formative years after helping launch the group in 1977 alongside Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin and guitarist Peter Fenton.
A self-taught drummer, he joined after seeing the group perform ‘live’ and quickly became central to their early sound.
He is best remembered for playing on the band’s first two albums — The Scream (1978) and Join Hands (1979) — both of which broke into the UK Top 20 and are widely regarded as cornerstone records of the post-punk movement, shaping generations of alternative and gothic rock artists.
Musician and music journalist John Robb, a close friend of Morris, paid tribute with a moving remembrance.
“Kenny was a friend of ours, and it was always a pleasure to see and hang out with him when visiting Cork in Ireland, where he had been living,” he wrote.
“He was sweet, articulate, artistic and fascinating company and his beautiful eccentricity was adorable.
“He would turn up in a suit and a dress with open handcuffs on one hand and the next time in a totally different yet perfectly created bricolage of style, whilst still dressing in the artful confrontation of the 1976 punk era that he was such a key part of.”
Morris left Siouxsie And The Banshees in 1979 following an argument during a record signing, departing alongside guitarist John McKay.
After stepping away from the band, he pursued solo work, ‘live’ drumming and production projects, later enrolling in film school before moving to Cork and eventually settling in Dublin.
Beyond music, Morris became a respected figure in the arts scene, with his paintings exhibited in major shows across Ireland. In recent years, he had returned to drumming, performing with Shrine of the Vampyre, a Dublin-based post-punk goth outfit.
