The haunting last post of rockstar Ian Watkins prior to his arrest has resurfaced in the wake of his murder in prison.
Watkins, former frontman of rock band Lostprophets, was the victim of a brutal attack which took place at HM Prison Wakefield in Yorkshire, England on the Saturday morning.
The 48-year-old, who once opened for bands such as Metallica and Slipknot, was serving a 29-year sentence for a series of shocking child sex crimes.
At the age of 36, in 2013, he was found guilty of 13 sexual offenses, including the attempted rape of a baby, multiple assaults involving children, and possession of extreme pornographic material.
Sentencing, Justice Royce described the crimes as “plunging into new depths of depravity” and called Watkins a “corrupting influence” with a “complete lack of remorse.” He warned that “any decent person… will experience shock, revulsion and incredulity.”
According to West Yorkshire Police, officers were called to HMP Wakefield on Saturday morning, October 11, following reports of a serious assault.
“A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention, he was pronounced dead at the scene,” the force said. Two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. The Homicide and Major Enquiry Team is leading the investigation.
Reports suggest Watkins was stabbed in the neck during the assault, dying from blood loss. A source told the Daily Mail that the attack was “the most brutal way” and “shocking,” with “blood everywhere.” Despite guards rushing to the scene, “there was nothing they could do, and they couldn’t save him.”
In light of his death, the final message Watkins posted to his X account has resurfaced. Dated December 16, 2012 – just one day before his arrest – it read: “Well……that escalated pretty quickly……I do apologise….”
Earlier tweets suggested he’d been commenting on a film at the time, though the context was never confirmed.
Four years later, after Watkins had been jailed for 29 years, his account made the headlines when it suddenly reactivated and began posting links to music on Soundcloud.
At the time, prison officials insisted that Watkins didn’t have access to a phone. In 2018, however, he was found with a cellphone, with ten months being added onto the end of his sentence as a result.
The weekend’s fatal attack wasn’t the first time the former rockstar had faced violence inside. In 2023, he was slashed with a sharpened toilet brush during a fight over a drug debt. A year earlier, he was held hostage for six hours and knifed, leaving him hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
