![]() ![]() In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band played a farewell concert and disbanded. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. Despite achieving only limited commercial success initially, the band was highly influential in the United States, South America, and some parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Belgium.Īll of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", although none of them were biologically related they were inspired by Paul McCartney of The Beatles, who would check into hotels as "Paul Ramon". They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. “And you know they’re up in heaven now – still playing, still fighting with each other – they’re having a ball.”ĭied: April 15, 2001, in Manhattan, at 49ĭied: June 5, 2002, Hollywood, Calif., at 50īorn: Jan.The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. “The Ramones did it the right way, at the right time,” he said. He knew it was his time.”Īnd Dashow said, despite the curse, there’s no need for fans to feel bad. But he wouldn’t have traded his life for anything. Kurfirst said: “The Ramones are history, and Johnny’s death is the death of punk rock. I’m sorry to see him go like this,” said Marky Ramone, who became the band’s drummer when Tommy quit. Until this week, many die-hard punk fans remained hopeful that Johnny and Tommy might one day reunite for a show. “He told me he had just gotten off the phone selling one of his horror posters – he collected original posters from films like ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman,’ ” Kurfirst said. Just do me one favor: Take care of Linda.’ He was at peace.”Įven with his time nearly up, Johnny was busy selling his beloved baseball memorabilia and movie-poster collection to make sure his wife would be financially set. “The last thing he said to me was: ‘It was 25 years. That’s for the young.’ He wanted to be comfortable and enjoy the rest of his life,” said Kurfirst, who spoke with Johnny a few days before his death. “He said to me, ‘I don’t want to be old and playing rock ‘n’ roll. He had left the hardscrabble life of rock for a home in the L.A. The rocker was first diagnosed with prostate cancer a decade ago and had rigorously fought it through aggressive medical treatment and clean living. His untimely death prompted city officials to name the corner of Bowery and Second Street, by CBGB, “Joey Ramone Place” last NovemberĪ year later, Dee Dee died from a drug overdose – a syringe found not far from his body. Joey was the first to go three years ago. The freaky foursome, who were not related, first met in Forest Hills, Queens, where they grew up as teenagers and made their name at CBGB in the mid-’70s, pounding out hits like as “I Wanna be Sedated” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.”Īnd as the Godfathers of Punk, they lived on diets of drugs, booze and fast food, all of which took their toll. Three of them now gone,” Kurfirst told The Post. Gary Kurfirst, the Ramones’ longtime manager, said the curse might be the result of the group’s years of hard-partying wildness. “They lived hard, but so did Keith Richards – and he’s still going strong.” “It does seem so strange that this band was snake-bitten health-wise,” said Ken Dashow, veteran DJ of classic rock station WAXQ. The only living original member is now drummer Tommy Ramone.Īnd with three of the guitar-crunching quartet gone, the curse that many rock fans feared was plaguing the Ramones has struck yet again. ![]() His sad passing follows the deaths of two other founding members of America’s legendary punk-rock band, which churned out 21 albums between 19.ĭee Dee Ramone died from a heroin overdose in June 2002, and Joey Ramone from lymphatic cancer in April 2001. Johnny, 55, whose real name was John Cummings, died at his home in Los Angeles Wednesday after losing a valiant 10-year battle with prostate cancer. ![]() ![]() With Johnny Ramone’s tragic death this week, the Curse of the Ramones continued its cruel legacy in the hard-living world of rock ‘n’ roll. ![]()
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