Cheetah Chrome, the guitarist of punk rock bands the Dead Boys and Rocket From the Tombs, died at 71. The Dead Boys confirmed the news on Instagram on Sunday night. A cause of death was not given.
“We are incredibly sad to announce the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Cheetah Chrome,” the band wrote. “Cheetah was a true original, an architect of the punk rock movement. A one man hurricane tearing up the musical landscape with his feral guitar riffs and manic energy. Beyond all that Cheetah was also just a really sweet guy that loved rock-roll. We extend our deepest condolences to Cheetah’s family, friends and fans around the world. His music lives on and will continue to inspire others for generations to come. We ask for privacy during this difficult time. Godspeed Cheetah.”
Cheetah Chrome was born Eugene Richard O’Connor in Cleveland on Feb. 18, 1955. He joined proto-punk band Rocket From the Tomb in the fall of 1974 as the guitarist. The group opened for Television and Patti Smith at Cleveland’s Piccadilly club in 1975, although the band only lasted for a few more months, performing their farewell show that August. Despite their short-lived career, Rocket From the Tomb left an indelible mark on the music scene. Lester Bangs described them as “the original legendary underground rock band,” while Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke wrote, “No one else in American rock, underground or over, was writing and playing songs this hard and graphic about being fucked over and fighting mad.”
After the dissolution of Rocket From the Tomb, Chrome formed the Dead Boys with Stiv Bators, Jimmy Zero, Jeff Magnum, and Johnny Blitz. After moving to New York City, the punk group released their debut LP, Young, Loud and Snotty, in 1977 and a second album, We Have Come for Your Children, in 1978. The band were mainstays of the New York punk scene, often selling out CBGBs. When the Dead Boys called it quits in 1979 Cheetah Chrome began playing around New York City with bands like the Stilettos and as his own band Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties. He also played on Ronnie Spector’s debut solo album, Siren.
The Dead Boys reunited multiple times over the years, most notably in 2017 for a 40th anniversary tour and a rerecording of their debut titled Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40. In 2003, Chrome brought back Rocket From the Tombs with a new lineup of David Thomas, Craig Bell, Pere Ubu’s Steve Mehlman, and Television’s Richard Lloyd. The group released Rocket Redux, a collection of Rocket From The Tombs originals performed by the reworked lineup. They recorded Barfly, an album of new material in 2011, shortly before Chrome left the band.
Throughout his career, Chrome also played with the New York Dolls’ Syl Sylvain in Batusis, who released a self-titled EP in 2010. His autobiography, Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy’s Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock, came out the same year. Chrome later became creative director of A&R/director of special projects for Plowboy Records after moving to Nashville. He released his own album, Solo, on the label in 2014.
“It’s very funny to find out that I could do this,” he told Vice of becoming a label executive. “It was a little daunting to be a record label executive. I didn’t know if I could do it, but right from the beginning, all the years I’ve been in the business, I kind of knew what needed to be done, and what we could be doing differently, and things I didn’t like about the business that I could actually change.”
Chrome was remembered by his peers both for his guitar playing and for his impact on the history of punk music. Punk group Reagan Youth wrote on Instagram, “Rest in power to Cheetah Chrome, a true OG and one of the architects of the punk rock movement. His influence helped shape the sound, spirit, and attitude of punk for generations to come.”
“RIP dear Cheetah Chrome,” Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan shared. “Your guitar playing and attack taught me so much about ‘edge’ and precision in punk and beyond. Getting to know you in later years was a complete honor. Forever Dead Boys. Forever Cheetah Chrome!!”
