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09/16/2004 Archived Entry: "Johnny Ramone Dies at Age 55"

Posted by steve @ 01:49 PM EST [Link]

REAGAN RAMONE DIES: Johnny Ramone, guitarist for punk band The Ramones and a staunch financial conservative, died last night of prostate cancer.

"In my opinion ... he was the greatest guitar player ever," Marky Ramone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. "He was the leader of the band when things got tough. To me, it's like losing a brother. I'll never forget him."

Ramone, whose birth name was John Cummings, had been hospitalized in June at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for cancer treatment.

He was one of the original members of the Ramones, whose songs "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," and "Blitzkrieg Bop," among others, earned them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sleep well Johnny.

Read on.

[Update - 3:50pm] LA Voice has some thoughts about Johnny's passing. Warning, some minor bad language. Hey man, it's punk, what do you want?