Joey Ramone

Jeffrey Ross Hyman was born on May 19, 1951, in Queens, New York City, to a Jewish family. His parents were Charlotte (née Mandell, later Lesher, 1926–2007) and Noel Hyman (1919–2000). It has been claimed he was born with a parasitic twin growing out of his back, which was incompletely formed and surgically removed. He had a younger brother named Mikey Leigh, who is also a singer-songwriter. The family resided in Forest Hills, Queens, where Hyman and his future Ramones bandmates attended Forest Hills High School. Though generally a happy person, Hyman described himself as a misfit and loner as a child. He was diagnosed at 18 with obsessive–compulsive disorder. His striking physique has been attributed to Marfan syndrome and his health was often frail. His mother, Charlotte Lesher, owned an art gallery in Queens. After divorcing her first husband, Noel Hyman, she married again but was widowed when her second husband died in a car accident while she was on vacation. Hyman began playing the drums when he was 13 years old. He was a fan of the Beatles, the Who, David Bowie, and the Stooges among other bands, particularly oldies and the Phil Spector-produced girl groups. The Who in particular inspired him when he saw them perform at the age of 16.

In the late 1970s, Hyman began dating Linda Marie Danielle, later known as Linda Ramone. They first met at CBGB in 1976, before meeting again a few years later in Los Angeles. The couple began dating and Linda would often travel with the Ramones during tours. They got engaged a couple years later. It is reported that Hyman and Linda had an argument about the engagement ring he bought her, and this fight is said to be the inspiration for the Ramones song "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)". Linda and Hyman eventually split up after Linda began a relationship with Hyman's bandmate Johnny Ramone. One of Hyman's favorite bands was Motörhead; he also liked AC/DC, the Georgia Satellites and the Dickies.

In 1995, Ramone was diagnosed with lymphoma. He kept his condition private until it was revealed on March 19, 2001, that he was battling the disease. In December 2000, Ramone had a fall that broke his hip and was hospitalized. His condition deteriorated after the fall. He died of the illness at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on April 15, 2001, aged 49. He was reportedly listening to the song "In a Little While" by U2 when he died. In an interview in 2014 for Radio 538, U2 lead singer Bono stated that Joey Ramone's family had told him this; later, Joey's friend Andy Shernoff (of the Dictators) also confirmed it. Joey's funeral was attended by former bandmates Tommy, Richie and C. J. Ramone, along with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, and Joan Jett. Joey is interred at New Mount Zion Cemetery in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. His solo album Don't Worry About Me was released posthumously in 2002, and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard. The cover was also featured on the 2003 Freaky Friday soundtrack. …