Eugene Richard O’Connor – better known to generations of punk fans as Cheetah Chrome from Dead Boys – has died aged 71.
His death was announced by the current Dead Boys on Sunday (13.09.26) in a heartfelt statement.
The band wrote on Instagram: “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. Tony, Chris, Mark and the entire Dead Boys family.”
No cause of death has been shared.
Chrome became one of American punk’s defining guitarists after first surfacing with Rocket From the Tombs – the brief but hugely influential pre-punk outfit whose members later split into Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. When Rocket folded, he teamed up with Stiv Bators and Johnny Madansky in 1976 to launch Dead Boys. Their debut, Young Loud and Snotty, quickly cemented its place as a landmark of American punk, driven by Chrome’s abrasive, high-voltage playing.
His work didn’t stop with Dead Boys. Over the next five decades, Chrome moved through an eclectic mix of collaborations, performing with artists including Nico, Ronnie Spector, GG Allin and musicians linked to The Replacements. He also released solo projects and eventually took on a behind-the-scenes role as creative director at Plowboy Records. In 2010, he published Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy’s Tale from the Front Lines of Punk Rock, a memoir that captured the chaos, culture and characters of the punk explosion he helped shape.
Chrome had been living in Nashville in recent years with his wife, Anna, and their son, Rogan. As the last surviving founding member of Dead Boys, he had been part of early discussions around a planned 50th-anniversary tour set for 2027. Whether those plans will move forward in his memory remains unclear.
