Dennis Sheehan had been U2‘s tour manager since 1982. Joining the European tour prior to the release of War, Sheehan went on to become not only a trusted colleague of the band, but a dear friend as well. Throughout his career, Sheehan also worked with Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, and Stone the Crow.Just hours after the band kicked off a string of dates in Los Angeles, Sheehan reportedly died of cardiac arrest in his hotel room.
Thanks to John Harrison at OOII Swim Club for the assist.
Allen Lanier is best remembered as the founding keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for legendary American rock band, Blue Oyster Cult. Formed in 1967, the band scored huge hits with “Burnin’ For You,” “Godzilla,” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” which contains arguably the single greatest use of the cowbell in rock history. Joining the band when it was originally called Soft White Underbelly, Lanier went on to write such B.O.C. songs as “Lonely Teardrops,” “Tenderloin,” and “True Confessions.” He played on all the band’s classic era albums until departing in 1985. He rejoined the group two years later, but left for good in 2006. Lanier also performed and recorded with Jim Carroll, John Cale, and Patti Smith with whom he was romantically linked for a time. Allen Lanier died from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) on August 14, 2013. He was 66.
Hilly Kristal
September 23, 1931 – August 28, 2007
Opened in 1973, Hilly Kristal’s CBGB became the epicenter of the punk and new wave movement thanks to his early bookings of such acts as Blondie, Talking Heads, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Television and the Ramones. After moving to New York City after serving in the Marines, Kristal became manager of the storied Village Vanguard jazz club where he booked such acts as Miles Davis. In 1968, he co-founded the Central Park’s Schaefer Music Festival which, over the next decade, hosted the likes of the Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, the Doors and Aerosmith. In 1973, he opened CBGB – OMFUG, which stood for “Country, BlueGrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers.” He closed the club during a much publicized rent dispute in 2006. Hilly Kristal died of lung cancer at the age of 75.
Naftali “Tuli” Kupferberg
September 28, 1923 – July 12, 2010
Tuli Kupferberg was a counter-culture icon who is best remembered as a poet, cartoonist, activist and co-founding singer of the Fugs, a folk rock band formed in 1965. Kupferberg first gained notice during the late ’50s when he published his own Birth magazine which featured such Beat writers as Allen Ginsberg and LeRoi Jones. He wrote several acclaimed books as well, the best known is perhaps 1966’s 1001 Ways To Beat The Draft. In 1964, Kupferberg formed the Fugs, a folk rock band that took well-deserved jabs at the government and society in general. They have been called one of New York’s first underground bands. Since he was in his ’40s at the time, he referred to himself as “the world’s oldest rock star,” a description that would make even more sense when the band reformed in 1985. Their comical “Boobs-A-Lot” has been a staple on Dr. Demento’s radio program for years. The Fugs were introduced to a new generation when their “CIA Man” was prominently featured in 2008’s Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading. Kupferberg suffered a stroke in 2009, prompting such devotees as Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye andLou Reed to put on a benefit concert on his behalf. Tuli Kupferberg was 86 when he passed away on July 12, 2010.
Lux Interior (Born Erick Purkhiser)
October 21, 1946 – February 4, 2009
Lux Interior, lead singer of psychobilly stalwarts The Cramps died Wednesday, February 9, 2009. According to the band’s official press release, Interior passed away due to an existing heart condition in the early morning hours at Glendale (California) Memorial Hospital. Born Erick Purkhiser in Ohio, Interior eventually landed in Sacramento, California where he reportedly picked up hitch-hiking college student, Kristy Wallace. The two soon became soul mates over shared interests in obscure music and wild fashion and formed the nucleus of the Cramps. By 1975, the couple were in New York City helping define the original punk scene that also gave us the Ramones, Talking Heads and Patti Smith. But the Cramps sound was very different from the others. By combining equal elements of surf, rockabilly, camp, horror and fetish, along with Lex’s passionately reckless vocals and stage theatrics, the Cramps quickly built a legion of loyalists that would stay true to the band for decades to come. It should be noted that the Cramps are likely the only band in history who have performed at both the Napa State Mental Hospital AND on Beverly Hills, 90210.