DAVID Johansen, the iconic frontman of the New York Dolls, has passed away at the age of 75.
Johansen died on Friday at his home in New York City, according to Rolling Stone, citing a family spokesperson.
It’s understood he died surrounded by his family.
Earlier this year, it was disclosed that the star had been battling stage four cancer and a brain tumor.
At the time of his death, Johansen was the last surviving member of the original New York Dolls lineup.
His bandmates—Kane, Sylvain, Thunders, and drummers Jerry Nolan and Billy Mercia—had all passed away in previous years.
Until his passing, Johansen remained active, hosting his Sirius XM show David Johansen’s Mansion Of Fun.
He is survived by his wife, artist Mara Hennessey, and his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey.
Despite his lengthy battle with illness, his stepdaughter shared that Johansen remained “hilarious and wise” in his final days.
Johansen was a key figure in redefining rock and roll.
With tracks like Looking For A Kiss, Trash, and Personality Crisis, he helped lay the groundwork for British punk bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols.
His gravelly yet camped-up vocals were the perfect complement to the band’s cross-dressing aesthetic and raw blues-punk sound.
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Pals with fellow stars like David Bowie, Johansen was born in New York City to an Irish American mother and Norwegian American father.
He began his career in the late 1960s with Staten Island’s Vagabond Missionaries before joining the New York Dolls in 1971, following guitarist Johnny Thunders’ decision to step down as lead singer.
The band’s 1973 self-titled debut, produced by Todd Rundgren, achieved limited success at first, but it marked the start of their legacy.
Known for their androgynous style and hard-edged music, the Dolls quickly gained attention.
They made waves in Europe, particularly after a notorious appearance on the BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, where host Bob Harris called them “mock rock” following a performance of Jet Boy.
This moment helped catapult the band to fame in the UK.
Despite critical acclaim, their 1974 follow-up, Too Much Too Soon, saw limited sales.
The band’s line-up shifted after 1975 when Malcolm McLaren briefly managed the group, dressing them in red leather outfits.
But internal strife and substance abuse led to the band’s breakup in 1976.
The New York Dolls’ influence on the punk scene cannot be overstated.
Bands like The Clash, The Damned, and The Sex Pistols all cited them as a major inspiration.
Johansen later embarked on a solo career and even found success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter in the ’80s and ’90s, releasing a series of blues, pop, and swing albums.
His acting credits included a memorable role as the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged (1988).
A reunion of the Dolls in 2004, facilitated by Morrissey, saw Johansen, along with surviving members Arthur “Killer” Kane and Sylvain Sylvain, take the stage once again.
The band performed at the Meltdown Festival and released live albums. Their music continued to resonate with fans, and they recorded new material until 2011.
Johansen’s legacy was further cemented in 2016 when he re-recorded the Dolls’ Personality Crisis and a cover of Stranded In The Jungle for Martin Scorsese’s HBO series Vinyl.
In 2023, Scorsese directed a documentary on Johansen’s life, Personality Crisis: One Night Only.
