By Frank McGurty
NEW YORK (Reuters) – David Johansen, the former lead singer for the New York Dolls, whose unvarnished sound and flamboyant style helped inspire punk and glam rock in the 1970s, has died at age 75, his wife Mara Hennessey said on Saturday.
“We had a marvelous adventure of a life together,” she said, confirming that Johansen had died on Friday afternoon. “He was an extraordinary man.”
Johansen, perhaps best known for the 1987 party hit “Hot Hot Hot” after he reinvented himself as the lounge singer Buster Poindexter, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and had a brain tumor, his daughter Leah Hennessey revealed last month.
He had been dealing with cancer for a decade, she wrote in an online appeal for donations to help defray the cost of his medical care. His condition had worsened about five years ago, she said.
A native of New York City, Johansen formed the Dolls in 1971 with bassist Arthur Kane, drummer Billy Murcia and guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets, who was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain in 1972. Johansen was the last survivor from the band’s classic lineup.
In its early years, the band released two albums, “New York Dolls” (1973), produced by Todd Rundgren, and “Too Much Too Soon” (1974), with Johansen and Thunders writing most of the material.
Neither of the albums were big sellers despite decent reviews. But the Dolls’ buzzsaw sound and a style that featured heavy makeup, teased-out hair, high heels and spandex caught the attention of tastemakers and had an outsized influence on rock music in the 1970s and beyond.
Critics say the band anticipated the emergence of punk, inspiring bands such as the Ramones, the Damned and the Sex Pistols, while fueling the genres of glam rock and heavy metal.
Johansen had “guts” and “oozed style,” said Todd Abramson, a music historian and DJ who hosts the Todd-O-Phonic Todd show on WFMU radio in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“As ridiculous as some (or most) of his attire was, he made it work! You and I would look like absolute idiots but he looked cool,” Abramson said. “And he was able to sound tougher with that New York accent and attitude wearing a dress than most people could have in jeans and a biker jacket.”
Morrissey, the singer-songwriter who fronted the Smiths and was once president of a New York Dolls fan club, posted a tribute to Johansen on his Morrissey Central website, captioned “RIP” and “NOSOTROS TE AMAMOS!” or “We love you.”
After the demise of the Dolls, Johansen performed an eclectic mix of jump blues, swing and other genres under the moniker Buster Poindexter, appearing frequently on “Saturday Night Live.”
Later, he focused on the blues with his band the Harry Smiths, and acted in television and films, notably appearing with Bill Murray in “Scrooged” (1988) as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Johansen’s own life was the subject of a 2023 documentary co-directed by Martin Scorcese and David Tedeschi. The film -centered around a New York cabaret performance by Johansen, interspersed with archival footage of the Dolls – highlights the range of his musical tastes.
“At his core he was a fan (and not just of music), and he wanted to share his passion with as many people as he could,” Abramson said.
(Reporting By Frank McGurty in New York; Editing by Nia Williams)
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