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David Johansen, frontman of New York Dolls, dies aged 75
Flamboyant singer helped point his city’s music scene towards punk, before a successful solo career and eye-catching acting roles
“David Johansen passed away peacefully at home, holding the hands of his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, in the sunlight surrounded by music and flowers,” reads a statement on a website created to raise funds for his medical care. Strikingly handsome, he and his bandmates offset the macho rock star image by wearing women’s clothing and makeup, bringing a vaudevillian energy to their brutish music. Photograph: Richard Drew/APJohansen was born and raised in Staten Island, and fronted local band the Vagabond Missionaries before he joined the nascent New York Dolls in 1971, and became the heart of an irreverent scene centred around Manhattan’s Mercer Art Center.
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