David Johansen, the charismatic frontman of the influential protopunk band New York Dolls and later the creator of alter ego Buster Poindexter, has died at 75.
Johansen passed away Friday at his home in New York City, confirmed by family spokesperson Jeff Kilgour. His stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey, had revealed in January that Johansen had been battling stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor, requiring round-the-clock care after a recent fall.
“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,” Johansen said in a statement at the time.
His death marks the end of a unique career that spanned music, film, and radio. Johansen was a quintessential New York artist, known for his work as a deejay on SiriusXM and for acting roles, including his portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged (1988) alongside Bill Murray.
His life and legacy were captured in Personality Crisis (2023), a documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi. The film’s title was inspired by the New York Dolls’ song, later covered by Scott Weiland, Sonic Youth, and Teenage Fanclub, with Guns N’ Roses also covering “Human Being” on The Spaghetti Incident?.
The New York Dolls, notorious for their off-stage volatility, embraced androgyny, donning heels, makeup, and women’s clothing. Johansen, who bore a resemblance to Mick Jagger, was the last to join the band, initially hesitant but later convinced by bandmate Sylvain Sylvain.
Despite Johansen’s later ventures as Buster Poindexter and into Americana music with the Harry Smiths, he reunited with surviving Dolls members for a 2004 Meltdown Festival curated by superfan Morrissey. “England always got the Dolls, and that show was bordering on euphoria,” he told Mojo magazine.
Born in Staten Island on Jan. 9, 1950, to a Norwegian father and Irish mother, Johansen grew up surrounded by music. By 1971, he was playing in underground bands before forming the Dolls alongside Johnny Thunders, Sylvain Sylvain, Billy Murcia, and Arthur “Killer” Kane.
The Dolls made waves in the underground rock scene, with David Bowie famously attending one of their early shows. Todd Rundgren produced their 1973 debut album, with critic Robert Christgau praising their raw, chaotic energy. However, the band struggled commercially and endured lineup changes, exacerbated by substance abuse issues.
After the Dolls dissolved, Johansen launched a solo career, opening for The Who and collaborating with rock legends, though mainstream success eluded him. Reinventing himself in the ’80s, he created Buster Poindexter, scoring a hit with Hot Hot Hot. However, he later admitted that the song became the “bane of my existence.”
Johansen remained active in music and radio, hosting David Johansen’s Mansion of Fun on SiriusXM. He was the last surviving original New York Dolls member. Johnny Thunders died of a heroin overdose in 1991, followed by Jerry Nolan months later. Arthur Kane passed away weeks after the 2004 reunion from leukemia, and Sylvain Sylvain died of cancer in 2021.
Source: Swifteradio.com
