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Tommy Ramone, co-founder of legendary punk band, dies

Tommy Ramone, the last surviving co-founder of the Ramones, has died. The group came out of the 1970s New York punk scene and was hugely influential in the rock genre, though they struggled for commercial success.  

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Ed Betz/AP/File
Members of the Ramones, (from left to right), Dee Dee, Johnny, Tommy and Marky Ramone hold their awards after being inducted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at New York's Waldorf Astoria in March 2002. A business associate says Tommy, the last surviving member of the original group, has died.
  • By Kristen de Groot Associated Press

Tommy Ramone, a co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones and the last surviving member of the original group, has died, a business associate said Saturday.

Dave Frey, who works for Ramones Productions and Silent Partner Management, confirmed that he died on Friday. Frey didn't have additional details. Ramone was 65.

Tommy Ramone, a drummer, co-founded the Ramones in 1974 in New York along with singer Joey Ramone, bassist Dee Dee Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramone. All four band members had different last names, but took the common name Ramone.

The band influenced a generation of rockers, and their hit songs "I Wanna Be Sedated," and "Blitzkrieg Bop," among others, earned them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Clad in leather jackets and long black mops of hair, the group of motley misfits started out in legendary New York clubs like CBGB and Max's Kansas City, where they blasted their rapid-fire songs.

Since its debut album in 1976, the band struggled for commercial success, but they left a formidable imprint on the rock genre. Though they never had a Top 40 song, the Ramones influenced scores of followers, including bands such as Green Day and Nirvana.

Even Bruce Springsteen was moved. After seeing the Ramones in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Springsteen wrote "Hungry Heart" for the band. His manager, however, swayed him to keep the song for himself and it became a hit single.

The Ramones' best-known songs reflected their twisted teen years in Queens: "Beat on the Brat," ''Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue," ''Teenage Lobotomy," ''Sheena Is a Punk Rocker."

The Ramones disbanded in 1996 after a tour that followed their final studio album, "Adios Amigos." A live farewell tour album, "We're Outta Here!", was released in 1997.

Johnny Ramone, whose birth name was John Cummings, died in 2004 of prostate cancer. Joey Ramone, whose real name is Jeff Hyman, died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer. Dee Dee Ramone, whose real name is Douglas Colvin, died from a drug overdose in 2002. Tommy Ramone was born Erdelyi Tamas in Budapest, Hungary.

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