Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Kenny Morris, Original Siouxsie and the Banshees Drummer, Dies at 68

Tributes credit his tom‑heavy approach with shaping the Banshees’ early post‑punk sound.

Overview

  • Music journalist John Robb confirmed the death on Jan. 15 in Louder Than War, with no cause or exact date disclosed.
  • Morris recorded The Scream (1978), Join Hands (1979) and the hit single Hong Kong Garden before exiting the band in 1979 alongside guitarist John McKay.
  • After his departure, Robert Smith filled in on guitar and Budgie became the Banshees’ long‑term drummer.
  • He later moved to Ireland, taught and exhibited art, ran a gallery, and recently drummed with Dublin’s Shrine Of The Vampyre, including a 2024 show titled A Banshee Left Wailing.
  • He completed a memoir that had been slated for publication, and peers such as Jon Savage and Murray Chalmers praised his influence and character in public tributes.