Tommy Ramone

drums (drum set)

b. 1949 in Budapest — d. 2014

Founded The Ramones

Thomas Erdelyi (born Tamás Erdélyi, [ˈɛrdeːji ˈtɒmaːʃ]; January 29, 1949 – July 11, 2014), known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian-American musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones from its debut in 1974 to 1978, later serving as its producer, and was the longest-surviving original member of the Ramones.

Death

Tommy Ramone died at his home in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, on July 11, 2014, aged 65. He had received hospice care following unsuccessful treatment for bile duct cancer. His body is interred at New Montefiore Cemetery, in West Babylon, Suffolk County, New York. In The Independent, Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith wrote that "before Tommy left the line-up, the Ramones had already become one of the most influential punk bands of the day, playing at the infamous CBGB in the Bowery area of New York and touring for each album incessantly." In response to Ramone's death, the band's official Twitter account had been tweeting previous quotes from band members, including his own 1976 comment that New York was the "perfect place to grow up neurotic". He added: "One of the reasons that the Ramones were so unique and original was that they were four original, unique people." Writing in Variety, Cristopher Morris said: "Tommy's driving, high-energy drum work was the turbine that powered the leather-clad foursome's loud, antic sound."