Johnny Ramone Dies at Fifty-Five

September 15th, 2004 brought sad news – the death of Johnny Ramone. The legendary guitarist had a long battle with cancer before passing away at his home in Los Angeles at 55 years old. The rocker was surrounded by his loved ones when he slipped into Rock'n'Roll heaven on that Wednesday afternoon.

A statement issued on the band's official site, sums up the sentiment of many regarding Johnny Ramone's death: "In this moment of tragedy and darkness, let us find solace, and a cure to our pain, in the knowledge that Johnny accomplished to the limit his life's aspirations, and in the process he made ours seem possible."

Music fans the world over are mourning the loss of Johnny Ramone. Co-founding the Ramones, Johnny helped to spark a musical revolution. The Ramones were the first punk band, bringing the sound of rebellion to New York through their infamous performances at CBGB. Many other bands followed in their wake including the Sex Pistols and the Damned.

The first album that Ramones ever pressed was their 1976 self-titled debut which included the classic 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend'. The guitar that Johnny Ramone played on those very first punk songs set the standard for every punk song to follow. The fast, simple, three-chord approach that brought a new face to music will forever belong to Johnny Ramone, and it shan't be forgotten.

Many bands in the world have gone on to call themselves punk, but no one can ever come close to matching the Ramones – the punkiest punks of them all.