Generous punk icon Brian James left more than half a million pounds to his beloved wife in his will.
The founder and guitarist of The Damned died in March aged 74.
Documents reveal James – real name Brian Robertson – left an estate worth £514,886, later reduced to £508,321 after deductions.
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He left it all to wife Minna, but touchingly gifted his cherry red Gibson guitar to his son Charlie.
His will, dated December 2017, also revealed his unusual wish to be buried at sea.
That wish came true in April this year, when friends and family – including Minna – gathered for a special ceremony off the Sussex coast near the couple’s Brighton home.
Loved ones sailed from Eastbourne to witness the moving moment, after a small memorial service at a local church, as reported by Need To Know.
A funeral firm had applied for permission from the Marine Management Organisation for the burial.
When he died, a statement posted on his Facebook page said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of the true pioneers of music, guitarist, songwriter, and true gentleman, Brian James.
“Incessantly creative and a musical tour de force, over a career which spanned more than six decades, with his music also gracing film and television soundtracks, in addition to The Damned and The Lords of the New Church, Brian worked with a plethora of punk and rock ‘n’ roll’s finest, from Iggy Pop to Wayne Kramer, Stewart Copeland to Cheetah Chrome.
“With his wife Minna, son Charlie, and daughter-in-law Alicia by his side, Brian passed peacefully on Thursday 6 March.”
James was a founding member of the iconic punk band The Damned.
Their debut single New Rose was the first song ever released by an English punk band, hitting shelves in 1976.
He wrote much of the material for the group’s first two albums – Damned Damned Damned and Music for Pleasure – before going on to co-found The Lords of the New Church.
Brian reunited with the original members of The Damned in 2022 for a series of UK shows, marking more than four decades since the release of New Rose.
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