Cheetah Chrome dead: 70s music icon dies as bandmates pay heartbreaking tribute

Cheetah Chrome, real name Eugene Richard O’Connor, the guitarist for 1970s punk icons the Dead Boys, died on Sunday, September 13 at the age of 71. The news was confirmed by his bandmates in a moving Instagram post on their official page, although they did not reveal a cause of death. Alongside a black and white image of the star sitting in a chair clutching his guitar, they penned: "We are incredibly sad to announce the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Cheetah Chrome.

"Cheetah was a true original, an architect of the punk rock movement. A one-man hurricane tearing up the musical landscape with his feral guitar riffs and manic energy. Beyond all that Cheetah was also just a really sweet guy that loved rock ' n ' roll. We extend our deepest condolences to Cheetah’s family, friends and fans around the world. His music lives on and will continue to inspire others for generations to come. We ask for privacy during this difficult time. Godspeed Cheetah. Tony, Chris, Mark and the entire Dead Boys family.”

The star was a guitarist in Rocket from the Tombs in 1974 before starting Frankenstein with Dead Boys members Stiv Bators and Johnny Blitz, which would evolve into Dead Boys.

Encouraged by Joey Ramone, they moved to New York in 1976 and became a fixture in the nascent CBGB scene.

Reflecting on that period in an interview with Classic Rock in June 2023, Chrome recalled: "We realised that there were a lot of people like us out there.

"Why it didn’t occur to us earlier, to just jump in the d**n van and get a gig out of town… we weren’t rocket scientists, we were the Dead Boys,” he said.

Tributes flooded in for the star as fans read the devastating news on social media. One commented: "Very sad news. The Dead Boys were such an important part of the NYC punk rock scene in the 1970s…"

Another added: "I’m stunned and deeply saddened to learn this, he was phenomenal! I’ve been a fan of Cheetah and the Dead Boys since I was 13 in 1977. My best friend and I wrote the band a fan letter that year, and they answered with a fabulous letter of thanks and an autographed photo. I so enjoyed Cheetah’s wise, witty and profoundly moving memoir. I will miss knowing he’s in the world, and am extremely grateful for the music he’s given us. Godspeed, Cheetah."

A third chimed in: "So incredibly sad, I will never forget the night I felt a tap on the back of my head and turned around to see THE Cheetah Chrome ready to meet me. They say never meet your heroes, but Cheetah proved that saying wrong in every way possible, such a nice guy and an amazing guitar player, an inspiration to me and to many."

Meanwhile, a fourth shared: "I'm so incredibly sad to hear this. I had the pleasure of spending time with him, as his driver and tour guide of sorts, when he performed at the Miami punk rock high reunion several years ago. A true gentleman and an amazing musician. So sad."