Dark Angel Mourns The Death Of Their Guitarist, Jim Durkin

Jim Durkin (Instagram @darkangel)

JAKARTA - Jim Durkin, veteran guitarist of thrash metal Dark Angel, has died at the age of 58.

The news was confirmed by his wife Annie, who called him "my eternal sweetheart".

"It is with a broken and heavy heart that I want to share that the love of my life, my best friend and husband, Jimmy, passed away Wednesday morning," Annie wrote as quoted by NME, Monday.

“He was not alone because I was with him with some close friends until the end. He will be sorely missed and nothing can replace the love I have for him. May he rest in peace. Always Yours, Mine, Ours... My Eternal Beloved. I will see you again."

Dark Angel also paid tribute to Durkin in a post on social media.

"We in the Dark Angel Family are deeply saddened and crushed today with the news of our brother and founder Jimmy Durkin passing away Wednesday morning," the post read.

“We would like to thank his fans for their continuous loyalty and support. We will come out with a full statement very soon. We ask that you please respect the family’s privacy while we mourn the loss of this great man."

Durkin was a founding member of Dark Angel (under the name Shellshock) in 1981, then known by their current name from 1983.

Alongside other heavy metal giants such as Metallica and Slayer, they became a mainstay of Californian thrash metal during the 1980s and 90s.

Durkin played with Dark Angel until his death, when the band broke up in 1992 before reuniting between 2002 and 2005, and again from 2013 to the present.