“I didn’t discourage the drug-taking, and I was part of it”: Chrissie Hynde admits guilt over deaths of Pretenders band members

Chrissie Hynde admits that she feels guilt over the deaths of her Pretenders band members Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott in the 1980s.

The Pretenders frontwoman says in a recent Record Collector interview that she “did not discourage” the drug-taking that lead to their deaths – bassist Farndon died in 1983 at the age of 30, while guitarist Honeyman-Scott died a year prior at 25.

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She says, “I am guilty. It’s not a big word if you are guilty. It’s big if you feel guilty and you’re not guilty. But if you really are guilty, then you should put your hand up and say, ‘Guilty as charged’.

“Well, I didn’t discourage the drug-taking, and I was part of it. So, you know, not that I was their mother, and we went on the road, and it was very hardcore.”