Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton dies
The lead guitarist with the legendary rock band has been found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was 60
The Stooges … Ron Asheton is pictured on the left. Photograph: /PR
The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead at his home in Michigan. He was 60.
Police told Ann Arbor News that the musician may have been dead for several days before he was found. Although unconfirmed, initial signs indicate that Asheton died of a heart attack.
Asheton was one of the founding members of the Stooges, along with his brother Scott, bassist Dave Alexander and their charismatic frontman Iggy Pop. With Pop, Asheton helped write songs that would set the template for punk rock, including No Fun and I Wanna Be Your Dog. As befits a band from Ann Arbor, their music distilled the experience of being a bored suburban teen and bottled it as a furious and snarling sonic assault. Their feral take on rock’n’roll, full of feedback and clatter, was the perfect backdrop for Pop’s wild stage antics, another big influence for punk performers.