The 62-year-old Ridgewood, Queens, rocker was receiving treatment on hospice care, suffering from bile duct cancer. A private funeral service is planned, according to Variety.
Ramone, born Thomas Erdelyi in Budapest, Hungary, was the son of Holocaust survivors and moved to Forest Hills, Queens in 1957. He began playing with John Cummings—later Johnny Ramone—in the mid-1960s and later became one of the founding members of the Ramones, playing the drums, and co-produced the first three groundbreaking albums, Ramones (1976), Leave Home (1977), and Rocket to Russia (1977). He was replaced on drums in 1978 by Marky Ramone, focusing on management production for the band's Road to Ruin and Too Tough to Die albums.
In his later years, Ramone joined Caludia Tienan in Uncle Monk, playing bluegrass and country music at local clubs in New York and around the world.
One of the most iconic bands that laid the foundation for punk bands to follow, the loud and rapid-fast musical style of the Ramones has been credited as a major influence for many—including Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Tre Cool, who named their children, Joey and Ramona, respectfully, in homage of the band.
The Ramones, known for their long hair, leather jackets, and ripped jeans, rose to the mainstream after playing at the iconic New York venue CBGBs and quickly defined the punk scene. They disbanded in 1996 after a farewell concert at the Palace in Hollywood and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, following the deaths of Joey Ramone in 2001 from lymphoma and Dee Dee Ramone in 2002 from a drug overdose. Johnny Ramone later passed away in 2004 from prostate cancer.
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