Ron Asheton, 60, longtime guitarist and founding member of punk legends the Stooges, was found dead this morning at his home in Ann Arbor, Mich. According to various news reports, Ann Arbor police were called to the guitarist’s home after receiving a call from his personal assistant, who hadn’t heard from Asheton in several days. Police responded and found Asheton dead inside the home on the couch.
Although no official cause of death has been given, several news outlets are reporting that police don’t suspect any foul play, and that Asheton may have died from a heart attack.
The Stooges – consisting of Asheton, his brother, Scott, Dave Alexander and frontman Iggy Pop – erupted out of Detroit and into the still evolving punk scene in 1967. Though they never attained the huge commercial success of their peers in the late ’60 and early ’70s, the Stooges powerful and raw sound was the model for the exploding punk scene of the ’80s and early ’90s, and many punk artists have referred to them as their main influence in the development of their music.
Asheton is ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the 29th greatest rock guitarist of all time. As the Stooges’ guitarist, he co-wrote some of punk rock’s most unforgettable riffs, including “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “TV Eye” and “No Fun.” He split from the Stooges in the mid ’70s and went on to play with several bands and musicians, including New Race and the Wylde Ratttz, a supergroup featuring Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm and Dinosaur Jr.’s Mike Watt and J. Mascis. Watt continued his association with Asheton’s when the Stooges reunited in 2003.
The Stooges are one of this year’s nominees for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Hall’s new members are expected to be announced later this month.