Photo: Associated Press – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Tom Erdelyi, or as you know him: Tommy Ramone, died at his home on Friday in Ridgewood, Queens. He was 65 years-old. Ramone was the founding drummer and the last surviving original member of the Ramones, which came together in 1974. According to his family, the musician had suffered from cancer of the bile duct. Back in 2001, the Ramones singer Joey passed away, in 2002 the bassist Dee Dee, and the guitarist Johnny left us in 2004. Every member of the band took on the last name Ramone.
In a statement from the Recording Academy they said, “A Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, as a member of the Ramones, Tommy Ramone was a drummer, songwriter, and producer who would ultimately become a seminal part of rock history.”
“Known as the pioneers of punk rock, the Ramones cut rock & roll down to its basics and injected it with a frenzied tempo, kicking off a rebellious musical movement that would spread to England, Germany and other parts of Europe. The band’s first four albums set the tone for the genre, and the group helped to make CBGB one of music’s most legendary and historical venues. Tommy would later go on to focus on studio work, producing recordings for other artists such as the Replacements and Redd Kross.”
“As the last surviving member of the original Ramones lineup, his sad passing is truly the end of an era — or as the group would say ‘the end of the century.’”
