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yertle-the-turtle

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Johnny Ramone

Ramones Guitarist Losing Fight with Cancer -Report

1 hour, 30 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The guitarist with pioneering punk rock band the Ramones is fighting a losing a battle with cancer in a Los Angeles hospital, Rolling Stone magazine reported on its Web site on Tuesday.

Johnny Ramone, 55, whose real name is John Cummings, was diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago, and it has now spread throughout his body, Rollingstone.com quoted the band's drummer, Marky Ramone, as saying.

"Johnny's been a champ in confronting this, but at this point I think the chances are slim," Marky Ramone said in the report. "John never smoked cigarettes, he wasn't a heavy drinker and he was always into his health. It just proves when cancer seeks a body to penetrate, it doesn't matter how healthy you are or how unhealthy you are. It just seeps in and there's nothing you can do."

The Ramones, famed for playing their high-energy, unpolished songs at breakneck speed, rose to fame in New York City in 1974, paving the way for such British punk rock icons as the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

The band made its mark with such tunes as "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," but it never achieved the same commercial success as acts that followed in its path. The Ramones officially retired in 1996.

The band's singer, Joey Ramone (ne Jeff Hyman), died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer, while bassist Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) died from a drug overdose the following year.
 
My friend just emailed me this story...I can't believe we're about to lose another one so soon (and yes, he's not gone yet people!).

:sad:

I hope he doesn't suffer too much....
 
:(


The Ramones were such a great band.

I heard a story about "Blitzkrieg Bop" on the radio. It went something like this: The Ramones were big fans of the Bay City Rollers. They wanted a pop song that would be similiar to BCR's "Saturday Night" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" was that song.
 
Almost makes you think of some weird B movie where the band signs a contract with the devil to become famous, and now Beelzebub is collecting his debt one band member at a time. Truly sad news.
 
Hewson said:
Almost makes you think of some weird B movie where the band signs a contract with the devil to become famous, and now Beelzebub is collecting his debt one band member at a time. Truly sad news.
Geez...RIP Johnny, I'd be worried if I were Tommy.
 
RIP Johnny.

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band "The Ramones" that influenced a generation of rockers, has died. He was 55.


Ramone, who had been fighting a five-year battle with prostate cancer, died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, said the band's longtime artistic director Arturo Vega.


"He was the guy with a strategy. He was the guy who not only looked after the band's interest but he also was their defender," Vega said in a telephone interview from New York.


Ramone, whose birth name is John Cummings, had been hospitalized in June at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.


Johnny Ramone was one of the original members of the struggling Ramones, whose 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.


Johnny Ramone co-founded "The Ramones" in 1974 in New York along with singer Joey Ramone, bassist DeeDee Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone, who is the only surviving member of the original band. All four band members had different last names, but took the common name Ramone.


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.


Clad in leather jackets and long black mops of hair, the group 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 (news) was moved. After seeing the Ramones in Asbury Park, N.J., 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 band had encounters with other big names, including producer Phil Spector, who collaborated with the band in 1980. During the session, the late bassist Dee Dee Ramone said Spector pulled a gun on the band.


"The Ramones had it rough," said Vega, who's worked with the band for 30 years. "The band almost had to be protected from people who were taking advantage of them. There was never any money made."


Johnny Ramone changed that by demanding more money for performances, but still kept a close watch on the band's budget; Vega recalled how Johnny Ramone would insist that the band drive nonstop between Boston and New York for shows instead of spending the night in a hotel.


In addition to his financial conservatism, the guitarist was politically conservative — the late Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) was Ramone's favorite president, Vega said.


Fans have remained loyal to the Ramones, and the Ramones over the years have been loyal to their fans. In 1979, while shooting scenes for the film "Rock 'n' Roll High School," the Ramones — ignoring the director's order — played a concert-length session for fans who had paid to be extras, Vega said.


"The Ramones never ever lost their image, their aura of being the ultimate underdog, the voice of the angry young man," Vega said.


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





Along with his wife, Linda Cummings, Johnny Ramone was surrounded at his death by friends, including Pearl Jam rocker Eddie Vedder (news), singer Rob Zombie and others. Other friends who gathered at his Los Angeles home included Lisa Marie Presley (news), Pete Yorn (news), Vincent Gallo (news) and Talia Shire.

He is survived by his wife and his mother, Estelle Cummings. He will be cremated during a private ceremony.
 
fah said:
:(


The Ramones were such a great band.

I heard a story about "Blitzkrieg Bop" on the radio. It went something like this: The Ramones were big fans of the Bay City Rollers. They wanted a pop song that would be similiar to BCR's "Saturday Night" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" was that song.

I'd always heard that the BCR song was "Do You Remember Rock n' Roll Radio?", at least in terms of structure. Still, this is very sad. If you've read about the Ramones tribute show recently with Eddie Vedder, the Chili Peppers, etc. then you've probably heard about the stadium singing "Blitzkrieg Bop" over a cell phone to Johnny. Very very powerful stuff.
 
I cannot believe this, especially since it is yet another crazy coincidence that happens when I travel. Check out my friend's blog...I am staying at her house right now in St. Louis:

www.poppymom.com


Rest In Peace Johnny.
 
I just got to work and heard it this morning and now I am sad. I have sympathy 'cause he didn't die in the cliched drug overdose way. cancer sucks.
 
God Bless Johnny Ramone..RIP

Johnny Ramone, the lead guitarist with the influential U.S. punk rock band the Ramones, has died after a five-year battle with prostate cancer.


Blessings on him friends and family
 
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Prostate cancer, lymphatic cancer, and a drug overdose leaves one remaining member of the Ramones..... :sad:

Being a punk sometimes ain't all it's cracked up to be, huh??

Peace to their souls and peace to their loved ones. :heart:
 
Such a shame. The Ramones were one of the first concerts I ever went to back in 1977. Talking Heads opened and both bands put on a great show. I still play the Ramones in my car, even though they make me drive too fast.

1,2,3,4
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
when i saw pearl jam at madison square garden, eddie called johnny from the stage on his cell phone and played "i believe in miracles" for him. was a great moment

What a wonderful story!

RIP Johnny. :sad:
 
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