Tommy Ramone, Last of the Ramones, Dies

Tommy Ramone, the last surviving original member of the groundbreaking punk band the Ramones, died Friday at the age of 65.

Drummer Tommy Ramone co-founded the Ramones along with singer Joey Ramone, bassist Dee Dee Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramone in 1974 in New York. The four members all adopted the same last name with the formation of the band.

Tommy Ramone’s passing was confirmed by Dave Frey, who works for Ramones Productions and Silent Partner Management. There were no additional details about the circumstances of the death of Tommy Ramone, who was born Erdelyi Tamas in Budapest, Hungary, reports the Associated Press.

Tommy Ramone: A Rock n’ Roll Life in Photos

The band’s hit songs like “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” changed the course of rock n’ roll, influencing artists from Nirvana to Green Day and Kurt Cobain. Donning their trademark leather jackets and long black mops of hair, the Ramones set a harder, faster and grungier tone for rockers to emulate.

Some of the Ramones’ best-known songs reflected their tumultuous teen years in Queens: “Beat on the Brat,” ”Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” ”Teenage Lobotomy,” ”Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.”

Dee Dee Ramone died of a drug overdose in 2002, while Johnny Ramone and Joey Ramone died of cancer in the mid aughts.

[AP]