Aged 50. Died of a suspected heart attack.

Some folkies will raise an eyebrow at Joe's passing getting a mention here. But there are those of us of a certain vintage who will have been very saddened to hear of his death this morning. The do-it-yourself ethos which Joe and his fellow members of The Clash personified turned a lot of people - myself included - on to making music. (I since found that that very do-it-yourself ethic is at the heart of a lot of great trad and folk music ...) In the intervening years our tastes may have matured for the better, but without that spark I for one wouldn't have considered that I had the potential for making music ...

Let's not forget that alongside his other world music influences, Joe had a gra for Irish music ... hence his regular apearances with The Pogues including a brief stint as frontman when Shane lost the plot.

Rest in peace.