Former lead singer of the iconic punk band New York Dolls, David Johansen, has died at 75.
The prolific musician and actor passed away at his New York home on Friday Feb 28, which was confirmed to Variety by his daughter Leah Hennessey. In February, David revealed he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, a brain tumor, and had recently suffered a broken back.
According to his daughter, the rock star had been in ‘intensive treatment’ for ‘most of the past decade,’ which led to a ‘severe financial burden’ on the family due to the high cost of his care.
Before his death, David required surgery and spent a week in the hospital after he fell down the stairs the day after Thanksgiving and broke his back in two places.
Leah explained: ‘Due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially,’ an that he ‘has been bedridden and incapacitated.’ The family had recently set up a fundraiser to help with the medical expenses.
The rock-and-roll star was born on January 9, 1950 in Staten Island, New York City and began his singer-songwriter career as a teenager in the late 60s.
The New York City native’s career spanned over six decades, though he had not performed in the last five years due to his declining health.
He formed the proto-punk band the New York Dolls in 1971 alongside guitarist Johnny Thunders and bassist Arthur Kane. Alongside the Stooges and the Velvet Underground, the New York Dolls were one of the first bands of the early punk scenes in New York City.
The punk rock pioneer also performed under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter and as part of the house band on Saturday Night Live. Later in his career, he performed Blues with his band The Harry Smiths.
As an actor, he worked on several film and television projects, including the HBO drama series Oz. He played The Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 Bill Murray-led Christmas comedy Scrooged.
He is survived by his daughter Leah and his wife Mara Hennessey.
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