R.I.P. Tommy Ramone

Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone passed away yesterday, July 11th, at age 62 in New York City. He was the last surviving original member of the Ramones.

Ramone, born Thomas Erdelyi in 1952 in Budapest, Hungary, was originally the Ramones' manager before moving behind the drum kit from 1974 to 1978, appearing on the band's classic first three studio albums, 1976's Ramones, 1977's Leave Home, and 1977's Rocket To Russia, as well as the band's first live album It's Alive in 1978. In addition to drumming, Ramone also served as producer on Leave Home, Rocket To Russia, and It's Alive, as well as the band's 1978 album Road To Ruin and 1984 's Too Tough To Die. Ramone also produced albums for other bands, including the Replacements' classic 1985 album Tim.

Ramone passed away yesterday in a hospice after receiving treatment for bile duct cancer, NME reports. After Joey Ramone's death in 2001, Dee Dee Ramone's death in 2002, and Johnny Ramone's death in 2004, Tommy Ramone was the last surviving member of the Ramone's original line-up.

Ramone's death was confirmed on the band's Facebook page, which also posted a quote by Ramone from 1978 about the band's legacy. The quote reads:

"It wasn't just music in The Ramones: it was an idea. It was bringing back a whole feel that was missing in rock music - it was a whole push outwards to say something new and different. Originally it was just an artistic type of thing; finally I felt it was something that was good enough for everybody."

Check out this Ramones concert from New Year's Eve 1977:

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The ramones, Ramones