Ian Watkins, the former frontman of the band Lostprophets, was fatally stabbed in prison on Saturday, October 11, at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. Watkins, aged 48, was serving a 29-year sentence for a series of child sex offenses when the incident occurred. Following his death, British police have launched a murder investigation and have arrested two male inmates, aged 25 and 43, on suspicion of murder.

Watkins had been incarcerated since 2013, after pleading guilty to 13 charges, including the attempted rape of a baby. The presiding judge at the time described his crimes as having “plumbed new depths of depravity.”

His death comes shortly after a report from the chief inspector of prisons highlighted a significant increase in violence at HMP Wakefield. The report, as detailed by the BBC, indicated that many inmates, particularly older men convicted of sexual offenses, expressed feeling unsafe amidst a growing population of younger prisoners. This was not the first instance of Watkins being targeted while in custody; in August 2023, he sustained neck injuries during an attack by three fellow inmates, requiring medical attention.

Lostprophets, the band Watkins fronted, formed in 1997 and achieved considerable prominence in the early 2000s, producing several U.K. chart hits. Their 2006 album, Liberation Transmission, reached the top spot on the U.K. Albums Chart, and their 2004 single “Last Train Home” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. The band ultimately disbanded in 2013 following Watkins' arrest and conviction.