Disgraced Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins has died following a violent prison stabbing, and those allegedly involved have been arrested.
The 48-year-old was serving a 29-year sentence at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire when he was attacked on Saturday morning.
Authorities confirmed Watkins died at the scene despite rapid intervention from emergency services, per the New York Post.
Two men, aged 25 and 43, have since been arrested on suspicion of murder, according to West Yorkshire Police.
Watkins Fatally Stabbed in Neck During Morning Cell Unlock
According to prison sources, Watkins was ambushed shortly after cells were opened for the day. One insider described the incident as “one of the most shocking inmate killings in recent memory.”
“Watkins has been killed in the most brutal way possible – and the attack was shocking, even by prison standards,” they said, per The Sun.
“He was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck,” the source continued. “Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly – but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him.”
The attack reportedly resulted in Watkins’ jugular being slashed, causing him to bleed out before medical personnel could intervene. Alarms were triggered, and the prison went into lockdown, with all inmates confined to their cells.
Wakefield’s “Monster Mansion” Was a Dangerous Place for Watkins
HMP Wakefield — notorious for housing some of the UK’s most reviled offenders — has seen a dramatic surge in violence in recent years. Known among inmates as “Monster Mansion,” the prison holds convicted child killers, terrorists, and serial sex offenders.
A prison source said: “He was obviously high-profile and in for the most disgusting crimes. So that meant he was walking around with a target on his back, and this has happened.”
Watkins himself had previously described the dangerous environment of Wakefield, telling a court he was incarcerated with: “murderers, mass murderers, r*pists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst.”
From Rock Star to Convicted Predator
Watkins first rose to fame as the frontman of Lostprophets, the Welsh rock band that topped the UK charts with their 2006 album Liberation Transmission.
But his career came to an abrupt end in 2012 when police raided his Pontypridd home during a drug bust and uncovered extensive child pornography, including videos he had produced himself.
In 2013, he pleaded guilty to 13 charges — among them, attempting to r*pe a baby, sexually touching a one-year-old, and encouraging a fan to abuse her own child over a webcam.
At sentencing, Judge John Royce said Watkins had “abused his fame” and branded him a “manipulative and dangerous sexual predator”.
“Those who have appeared in these courts over many years see a large number of horrific cases,” Royce said. “This case, however, breaks new ground.”
Authorities at the time described him as a: “committed, organised pedophile.”
Following Watkins’ arrest and subsequent conviction, Lostprophets announced the band would be disbanding.
Watkins’ notoriety made him a high-profile target behind bars, and many now see his killing as grimly inevitable.
Wakefield prison had already faced scrutiny over its rising violence, which increased by 62% since 2022 according to recent inspections.