David Johansen, who fronted the legendary 1970s proto-punk band New York Dolls and who also recorded under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter, died on Friday, February 28, his representative, Carla Parisi of Kid Logic Media, shared via email. The musician “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,” according to a statement. Johansen was 75 years old.
The statement said that Johansen “died of natural causes after nearly a decade of illness,” but the musician had also recently revealed that he had been living with stage 4 cancer. At the time, his daughter, Leah Hennessey, launched a Sweet Relief fundraiser to help cover the costs of his care and medical treatment.
David Roger Johansen was born on Staten Island, in 1950, where he was raised by a librarian mother and insurance salesman father. Johansen has reflected fondly on his home borough over the years, recording a two–part podcast on his idyllic childhood, which he spent zipping around on a bicycle, listening to records, and riling up the nuns at his Catholic school. In 2009, he appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s food show No Reservations as a guide to Staten Island’s culinary fare. At one point, Johansen told Bourdain that his beloved borough’s South Beach “rivals Kauai.”
Like many architects of punk’s first wave, Johansen grew up devouring blues and rock’n’roll singles, many of which he bought at Staten Island’s since-shuttered Dew Dale Records. Young Johansen took a shine to Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Fats Domino, the Platters, and the girl groups of the 1960s, many of which were produced by Phil Spector. The latter’s influence is evident on the early New York Dolls song “Looking for a Kiss,” which kicks off with Johansen reciting the opening line of the Shangri-Las’ “Give Him a Great Big Kiss”: “When I Say I’m in Love, you best believe I’m in love: L-U-V,” Johansen sneers, just before the band comes in. Years later, New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders repeated the phrase while covering “Great Big Kiss” on solo debut So Alone.
In high school, Johansen watched as multiple siblings (he was one of six) took part in musicals. He, instead, was busy making a name for himself in the New York rock scene. By the early 1970s, Johansen joined the New York Dolls and he sang on the band’s self-titled debut. At the time, the group featured Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane, drummer Jerry Nolan, and guitarist Johnny Thunders. The album, produced by Todd Rundgren, was divisive upon release, in 1973, but has proved to be a classic of the glam rock and proto-punk genres.
