ITP V.025 ONLY ONE PER COFFIN: R.I.P. DAVID JOHANSEN (VOCALIST NEW YORK DOLLS-BUSTER POINDEXTER)

 

DAVID JOHANSEN, vocalist of  New York based rock/punk pioneers NEW YORK DOLLS  died 2/28/2025 at 75 of cancer. 

ITP V.025 EDITORS NOTE: I met  DAVID JOHANSEN in New York City when I was working at TOWER RECORDS in 1995. DAVID JOHANSEN was a very nice guy, and knew alot about and was looking for world music. . 

FROM DAVID JOHANSEN REPRESENTATIVE:

"David Johansen died at home in New York City on Friday afternoon holding hands with his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, surrounded by music, flowers, and love. He was 75 years old and died of natural causes after nearly a decade of illness."

 

 FROM AP: 

https://apnews.com/article/david-johansen-dies-new-york-dolls-e9e6b36dbcd4e413dc166fe802d914d0?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawIwFElleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVLqVhxpDA2ScMWrs6J-St-m6oVNflN0H9vWnP9GsiqLABykfO9Gl91s7g_aem_VE9togJcruhXarS_jQ36xQ

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Johansen

 

 

FROM FAR OUT MAGAZINE: 

 BREAKING NEWS: The New York Dolls singer and punk pioneer, David Johansen, has died aged 75

 

BREAKING NEWS: New York Dolls frontman David Johansen has passed away at the age of 75. His death was confirmed by his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey.

The punk frontman had been battling stage four cancer, announcing in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. While seeking support from fans, Johansen also faced multiple complications—including breaking his back in two places.

The announcement of the punk icon’s death was seemingly first confirmed by former Smiths frontman Morrissey, who had posted on his website that he had passed away, sparking a run of tributes before Johansen’s family communicated the news. While details regarding the singer’s death remain scarce, Johansen’s health issues had left him incapacitated for the past few years.

After breaking his back, Johansen had been “bedridden and incapacitated” and required constant care for his ailments. In a press release, Johansen asked his fans to provide him with financial help for his medical bills, saying, “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency.”

 FROM WFUV: 

Whether you first discovered David Johansen via the vastly influential glam punks New York Dolls, as the suave, martini-swigging, hot hot hot Buster Poindexter, the folky David Johansen and the Harry Smiths, or via his own charismatic presence as just David, it's undeniable that this musician was an icon of this city and rock 'n' roll in general. #DavidJohansen passed away yesterday in Staten Island at age 75, not long after revealing that he was battling Stage 4 cancer last month. FUV sends our condolences to his wife Mara, stepdaughter Leah, and all of his family, friends, fellow musicians and the New Yorkers who loved him.

"Don't know if there's that much to be said

For this world, or the time that we spend

I doubt that I'd wanna live

This wasted life over again

Yeah I been to the doctor

Said there ain't much he can do

"You got the human condition

Boy, I feel sorry for you."

There's a sorrowful joy

I've known it since I was a boy

Joyful sorrow, I guess

It's a maimed happiness"

- New York Dolls, "Maimed Happiness

 

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-R.I.P.