David Johansen, the pioneering frontman of the influential proto-punk band New York Dolls and creator of the Buster Poindexter persona, died on Friday at his home in New York City. He was 75.
Johansen passed away peacefully while holding hands with his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, "surrounded by music and flowers," according to a family statement. The singer had been battling Stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor in recent years.
As lead singer of the New York Dolls in the early 1970s, Johansen helped lay the groundwork for the punk rock movement with the band's raw, energetic sound and provocative gender-bending image. Their influential 1973 self-titled debut album, produced by Todd Rundgren, featured classics like "Personality Crisis" and "Bad Girl."
After the Dolls disbanded in 1976, Johansen reinvented himself in the 1980s as lounge singer Buster Poindexter, scoring an unlikely hit with the Caribbean-flavored "Hot Hot Hot." He also pursued an acting career, appearing in films like "Scrooged" and TV shows including "Miami Vice."
The New York Dolls reunited in 2004 at London's Meltdown Festival, curated by superfan Morrissey. The reformed group went on to release three new albums before concluding their run in 2011.
Last year, Martin Scorsese chronicled Johansen's remarkable musical journey in the documentary "Personality Crisis: One Night Only."
In early 2024, Johansen revealed he had broken his back in two places after a fall. His family subsequently launched a fundraiser through Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to help with medical expenses.
Johansen is survived by his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah Hennessey. His passing marks the end of an era, as he was the last surviving member of the original New York Dolls lineup.