Walker fell into a diabetic coma on 11 January 2015. He died on 20 January. He is survived by his partner and two sons.[2] Walker's Neighbours colleague Stephen Vagg commented "James was a superb writer, whose scripts were always full of energy, original touches and first rate dialogue. He was also an excellent script editor, who was a pleasure to work with. He loved working with the characters and world of Ramsay Street and will be much missed here."[2] Fellow writer Sarah Walker (no relation) said James Walker was "indeed an excellent writer - with his funny, crisp dialogue - and he had a wonderful knack with defining unique characters."[1]