New York Dolls Frontman Dead at 75
David Johansen mourned by celebrity fans including Morrissey.
Marc Broussely/Redferns
David Johansen, best known as the frontman of the 1970s proto-punk band The New York Dolls, has died at the age of 75.
He died Friday at his home on Staten Island, his stepdaughter confirmed to The New York Times.
Last month, Johansen revealed that he was living with Stage IV cancer, a brain tumor, and a broken back as he posted a GoFundMe campaign for contributions to his medical bills.
“I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency‚” he said.
Morrissey, frontman of The Smiths, also shared news of Johansen’s death, posting a photo of his idol on his website alongside the words “RIP” and “All Hollow.” As a teen in Manchester, Morrissey was president of the Dolls’ British fan club.
The New York Dolls in London on Nov. 21, 1973. From left: Jerry Nolan, Sylvain Sylvain, David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, and Arthur Kane.
TPLP/Getty Images
As punk originators in the New York City scene, Johansen’s Dolls paired punchy hard rock with a transgressive sense of style. The band frequently cross-dressed, playing shows in high heels, their faces smeared with lipstick.
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“We used to wear some really outrageous clothes,” Johansen said in 1987, according to the Times. “These heavy metal bands in L.A. don’t have the market cornered on wearing their mothers’ clothes.”
Johansen achieved his greatest commercial success, however, in the 1980s and 1990s under his adopted musical persona Buster Poindexter, a bowtie-wearing crooner with a pompadour.
Buster Poindexter, known to some as David Johansen, is shown performing on stage during a "live" concert appearance on August 1, 1988.
John Atashian/Getty Images
Johansen also had a second life as an actor. The rocker appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, but he reached the zenith of his on-screen career because of his friendship with Bill Murray. This connection enabled Johansen to appear as a chain-smoking taxi driver Ghost of Christmas Past in the 1988 flick Scrooged.
Johansen, who was the last living member of the original New York Dolls, is survived by his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey, and his wife, the visual artist Mara Hennessey.
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