Who were Lostprophets members? All we know as ex-member Ian Watkins dies in prison

Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, who was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, for child s*x crimes, has died after reportedly being attacked in jail.

Authorities were called to the prison on Saturday, October 11, after Ian was attacked with a knife. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement to the BBC, a Prison Service spokesperson said they were aware of an incident at the prison but were "unable to comment further while the police investigate".

The outlet also reported that Watkins was previously attacked in prison in August 2023, but his injuries weren't life-threatening.

According to the West Yorkshire Police, two men, Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, suspected of murder, had been arrested and are expected to appear in court at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.

Watkins was previously the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Lostprophets. According to their IMDB page, the band was founded by Ian and guitarist Lee Gaze in 1997. They were later joined by the following members:

Mike Chiplin, Mike Lewis, Stuart Richardson, Jamie Oliver, Ian Rubin, and Luke Johnson.

However, Lostprophets disbanded after Ian's arrest in 2013.

At the time, the former bandmates stated that they were "heartbroken, angry, and disgusted," and claimed that they did not know "what Ian was doing."

"We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge. But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted," the statement read.

The statement signed by Gaze, Lewis, Richardson, Oliver, and Johnson added:

"We are heartbroken, angry and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It's still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way. "

Why was Ian Watkins arrested?

⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence & murder

Ian Watkins, 48, the disgraced former Lostprophets singer serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, has been murdered at HMP Wakefield. On Saturday, October 11, 2025, his throat was slashed… pic.twitter.com/ll3mO82CDk

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) October 11, 2025

In 2013, Ian Witkins admitted to the attempted r**e and s**ual assault of a child under 13, conspiring to r**e a child, three counts of s**ual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making, or possessing indecent images of children, and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a s*x act on an animal. However, he pleaded not guilty to r**e and was sentenced to 29 years in prison with a further six years on licence, per AP News.

Ian was sentenced alongside the mothers of the children he abused, who were jailed for 14 and 17 years.

Per the BBC, at the time of sentencing, U.K. Judge John Royce said the case broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity," and was a "classic case that the evidence was so overwhelming," there should not be credit given.

"Any decent person... will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity," he added.

Stay tuned for more updates.