What happened to the rest of Lostprophets? Lives of the other stars now as paedophile Ian Watkins killed in prison
As paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins is killed in prison, we take a look at what the other band members are doing now.
Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was fatally attacked by another inmate in HMP Wakefield yesterday morning (Saturday October 11), where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences.
The now 48-year-old was the frontman of indie rock band Lostprophets. The band, known for songs such as Rooftops and Last Train Home, enjoyed peak popularity during the early to mid-2000s.
But, the band disbanded in 2013, shortly after Watkins was charged with multiple sexual offences against children, including the attempted rape of a fan’s one-year-old baby.
At the time when Watkins was first charged, at the end of 2012, the rest of the band members; Stuart Richardson, Richard J Oliver, Lee Gaze, Luke Johnson and Mike Lewis, posted a message on their website stating that they were "learning about the details of the investigation along with you".
They ended their statement: "It is a difficult time for us and our families, and we want to thank our fans for their support as we seek answers.” They then cancelled all their tour dates and went on to fully disband in October 2013, before the end of Watkins' trial.
After Watkins pleaded guilty and was sentenced, the band released their latest statement in which they said they they were "heartbroken, angry, and disgusted" and had been unaware of his crimes. They added that although working with the disgraced singer had become "a constant, miserable challenge", they had "never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted".
Several months later, in June 2014, the remaining members of Lostphrophets all formed a new band called No Devotion, along with singer Geoff Rickly. The band released their debut album in 2015, but from 2016 the band became largely inactive.
A second album, however, was announced in 2022 after being discussed for years. Before the album was released though, Mike Lewis, Luke Johnson and Richard J Oliver left the band.
The official No Devotion website does not appear to have been updated since 2015. A quote at the top of the website reads: “It’s about letting go of the past”. So, what are all of the fomer Lostprophets band members doing today? Keep reading to find out all we know.
Stuart Richardson
Writing on Instagram last month to mark the 10 year anniversary of No Devotion’s first album Permanence, Stuart said: “Still my favourite songs I’ve ever written.Still the album that means the most to me as a producer.It felt like an out-of-body experience.”
He went on: “I was still crawling out from the wreckage of my past.We didn’t know what we were building — we just knew we had to make it. . . Thank you to my band —for trusting me with your healing, heavy heartsand your beautiful, uncontainable ideas.”
In his Insta bio, he describes himself as a “producer and mixer” and lists songwriting as one of his passions. He splits his time between Wales, Los Angeles and Florida.
Writing about what happened on his official website, he penned: “I joined the band Lostprophets in the early days. When it collapsed, it didn’t just end. It erased me. Emotionally. Financially. Physically. Psychologically.
“I lost everything—my name, my link to what made sense. The thing is—darkness doesn’t always announce itself. Not in bands. Not in families. Not in the places you think you’re safe. People imagine you’d see it coming. But you don’t. You’re shoulder to shoulder with someone… and still miles away from the truth. All I could do was bury myself in music - and fight like hell to find my way back.”
Richard J Oliver
Richard, who was known professionally as Jamie Oliver, went on to exit the music industry altogether in 2017 in order to focus on his art and fitness career. He now works as a fitness instructor with the goal to help people improve and overcome their physical and mental health problems. He lives in LA.
Lee Gaze
Lee , who was the co-founded of Lostprophets, spoke out about the band’s split in July X. Saying that “it is as painful today as it was then”, he went on: "It's been 13 years since my band ended in the most unimaginable circumstances and it's still painful to think about. Things could've been so different.
"I don't talk about it much, but I put everything into that band and it should've lasted a lifetime. I never really wronged anyone my whole life so it seemed like the ultimate punishment."
Lee still posts regularly on X, where he describes himself as a “musician, songwriter and cinephile”. In a lot of his recent posts, he rates films out of 10.
Luke Johnson
After Luke left No Devotion he went on to release solo music before co-founding Lowlives in 2016. The band released their first EP in 2018, followed by their first full-length album last year. The band are supporting Steel Panther on their tour later in October and at the start of November.
Mike Lewis
Not much is known about Mike these days as he seems to have stepped away from the spotlight. He split from his wife Amber in March 2023, which she announced on her Instagram page. His Instagram page is currently private and his bio is not visible.