Johnny Ramone dies at 55!

[Guest Bluesman]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band "The Ramones," has died. He was 55.

Ramone died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, his publicist said. He had battled prostate cancer for five years, and was hospitalized in June at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Ramone, born John Cummings, was one of the original members of the Ramones, whose hit songs "I Wanna be sedated" and "Blitzkrieg Bop," among others, earned the band induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

The band's singer, Joey Ramone, whose real name was Jeff Hyman, died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone, who was born Douglas Colvin, died from a drug overdose in 2002.

Johnny Ramone founded "The Ramones" in 1974 with Joey Ramone, DeeDee Ramone and Tommy Ramone, the only surviving member of the original band.

A tribute concert and cancer research fund-raiser was held Sunday in Los Angeles to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary. It featured performances by Los Angeles punk band X, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins and others.

Along with his wife, Linda Cummings, Johnny Ramone was surrounded at his death by friends Eddie and Jill Vedder, and Rob and Sherrie Zombie. Other friends who gathered at his Los Angeles home included Lisa Marie Presley, Pete Yorn, Vincent Gallo and Talia Shire.

[Mr. X]

R.I.P.

It's really sad knowing 2 of the 4 members have died of cancer, one died from drugs, and now only one is left. I feel especially bad for Tommy as the 2000s have been awful to the Ramones.

[Guest George]

I'm officially.... in mourning

R.I.P.... He was one of my biggest influences, I just stopped playing the guitar and playing some Ramones song before I came into the computer and read this....

Damn it... damn it.... GOD FUCKING DAMN!

[Herr Matzat]

:-(

[RandomHero]

Story on Yahoo

Theres the link to the story if anyone wants to read it.

[LygerMark]

It was inevitable. He was valiant in his fight. RIP.

[Godfatha]

/forum/index.php?showtopic=10091">http://www.ewbattleground.com/forum/index....showtopic=10091

It's right here on the first page!

[RandomHero]

looked and didn't see it...sorry...somebody close this

[Guest Small Blue]

Merged'd

[VerbalPuke]

This is terrible news. It seems that the last few weeks have been a string of bad news for me. This just tops everything off. Johnny Ramone, the man influenced so many to pick up the guitar and play it at blazing speeds. It's incredible that Joey, Dee Dee, and Johnny all died nearly one after the other. The Ramones opened my eyes to punk music, and it's all thanks to them that I got into the punk scene so exstensively. Johnny will never be forgotten, his style has been emulated by countless guitar players throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00's. We lose another great...

R.I.P Johnny Ramone. He's heading to the great gig in the sky as they say.

[fineintent]

RIP to a true musical visionary. My thoughts are with his wife and family.

[MDK]

Bugger, that is a downer. I kept seeing newstands with 'ROCK STAR LOSES CANCER BATTLE' and I was wondering who it was. Sad to hear this

[Guest Deputy Van Halen]

That was a real shock for me, having heard that he was fighting the cancer.

R.I.P.