Ramones Guitarist Dies at 55

Johnny Ramone, lead guitarist with the punk rock band the Ramones, died on Wednesday after battling prostate cancer for five years according to Arturo Vega, the Ramones' creative director.

Ramone, died at age 55 in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday afternoon.

"He was the guy with a strategy. He was the guy who not only looked after the band's interest but he also was their defender," Vega.

According to Reuters, at the time of his death, Johnny Ramone was accompanied by his wife, Linda, as well as rock stars such as Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and rocker Rob Zombie.

As a band, The Ramones blasted onto the New York City music scene in the 1970s, with hits like "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Teenage Lobotomy," "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue," and paved the way for more commercially successful British punk rock icons such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

Johnny Ramone is the third member of the band to die in recent years; Singer Joey Ramone died in 2001 of lymphatic cancer and bassist Dee Dee Ramone died from a drug overdose the following year.

"End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones," a documentary film about the Ramones has just been released in theaters, and former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone has overseen the recent release of a DVD called "Ramones Raw" according to Reuters.