Stars pay tribute to punk legend Tommy Ramone who has died aged 62
Lauren Laverne, comedian Noel Fielding and BBC economics editor Robert Peston among those paying tribute to the drummer and last member of The Ramones' original line-up who has died while undergoing cancer treatment
Music fans across the world have paid tribute to drummer Tommy Ramone who has died aged 62.
The death of the musician was announced this morning on the band’s official Twitter account, which said:
Tommy Ramone was the last surviving member of the original lineup of the band which exerted a major influence on punk rock since its formation in 1974.
The drummer, who is understood to have been undergoing treatment for bile duct cancer, died in a hospice.
Presenter Lauren Laverne wrote:
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The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Hot Fuzz actor Paddy Considine added:
Waking up to the sad news that Tommy Ramone has died. The last of the original Ramones. pic.twitter.com/f93TSsgFI4
— Paddy Considine (@PaddyConsidine) July 12, 2014
The BBC’s economics editor Robert Peston said:
Comedian Noel Fielding expressed his sadness with the succinct posting:
Born in the Hungarian capital Budapest, Tommy Ramone was brought to the US as a child in the 1950s by his family.
All members of the band adopted the surname Ramone although they were not related. Tommy Ramone, whose real names was Erdelyi Tamas, was the last of the original four-man line-up.
He started the band with three New York schoolfriends and was the group's drummer from 1974 to 1978, co-producing their first three albums.
The band, known for their leather jackets and fast musical style, went on to become enormous creative inspirations to generations of musicians with songs including I Wanna Be Sedated, Sheena is a Punk Rocker and Blitzkrieg Bop.
They broke up in 1996 and by 2004 three of the founding musicians - lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone - had died.
