David Johansen, frontman of the influential glam rock band New York Dolls, has passed away at the age of 75. His daughter, Leah Hennessey, confirmed his death, which occurred on February 28 at his home in New York.
Johansen recently revealed he had been battling stage 4 cancer, undergoing intensive treatment for nearly a decade.
Born in 1950, Johansen co-founded New York Dolls, a band that shaped the punk movement with albums like New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974). Despite a short-lived initial run, the Dolls became legends, inspiring countless punk bands. They reunited in 2004 at the request of Morrissey, who announced Johansen’s passing on his website.
Beyond music, Johansen found solo success under the alias Buster Poindexter, scoring a hit with Hot Hot Hot (1987). He also pursued acting, appearing in Scrooged (1988) and HBO’s Oz.
With Johansen’s passing, all original members of New York Dolls are now deceased. His life and career were recently celebrated in Martin Scorsese’s 2023 documentary, Personality Crisis: One Night Only.
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