Last Original Ramone Is Dead

Drummer Tommy dies at 65
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2014 7:12 AM CDT

The last original member of the seminal punk band the Ramones is dead, reports Variety. That would be drummer Tommy Ramone, who was born in Hungary as Erdelyi Tamas but grew up in Queens as Tom Erdelyi. He played on the band's first three albums before leaving to be replaced by Marc Bell, better known as Marky. The 65-year-old Erdelyi, who had a successful career as a music producer, had been in hospice after cancer treatment.

The LA Times sums up the band's impact: "The four-member Ramones came out of Queens with limited musical skills, but by 1976, their staccato riffs and full-frontal garage rock assaults began to make their mark on British punk musicians," writes Ryan Parker. "The band has been acknowledged by many as the inventors of punk rock." The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. (More The Ramones stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X