Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders was a guitarist, singer and songwriter whose contributions to rock and roll are often overshadowed by his notoriously self-destructive lifestyle. In 1971, he co-founded the New York Dolls, with whom his soulful, disheveled playing laid the blueprint for punk-rock guitar—later proving an inspiration to The Sex Pistols, The Replacements and many others. It was with the New York Dolls that he also became hooked on heroin, an addiction he would fight until his mysterious death in 1991. Between the his defection from the Dolls in 1975 and the end of his life, Thunders released work both as a solo artist and as frontman for his band The Heartbreakers. High-octane rave-ups like the 1977 track "Pirate Love" represent his persona as a Keith Richards-style rocker, but he also wrote aching ballads, such as 1985's "I Only Wrote This Song for You," and dipped a toe into R&B and Latin rhythms on the 1988 covers album Copy Cats.
Fast Facts
- Birth name: John Anthony Genzale Jr
- Born: July 15, 1952
- Died: April 23, 1991
- Years Active: 1971-1991
- Origin: New York City, New York
- Battled with alcohol and drug addiction
Mysterious Death
Thunders' 1991 death in New Orleans remains somewhat unexplained. An autopsy revealed evidence of some drugs in his system, but also that he had been suffering from advanced Leukemia. In addition, the hotel room where his body was found had been ransacked, and friends reported that he had run afoul of some local criminals.
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