Joe Strummer - DEAD at the age of 50

[Dwayne From Minden]

Lead man for the most influential band in the last 30 years - THE CLASH

Was found dead in his home in England -

May the Train have not be in Vain...

[Dwayne From Minden]

Clash star Joe Strummer dies
Monday, December 23, 2002 Posted: 10:14 AM EST (1514 GMT)



Strummer: Rebel with a cause

(CNN) -- Joe Strummer, the lead singer for the landmark British punk band The Clash, has died at the age of 50.

Strummer, who was the band's guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and sometime frontman alongside Mick Jones, died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Somerset, southwestern England.

A statement released by his record label said Strummer "died peacefully at his home." It added that his wife Lucy, two daughters and stepdaughter "request privacy at this harrowing time."

The British Broadcasting Corp. quoted Clash video director Don Letts has saying Strummer died of a heart attack.

He had been touring with his most recent band The Mescaleros until last month, rounding off a tour in Liverpool.

Hein van der Rey, managing director of Epitaph Records -- The Mescaleros' record label -- said he learned of the death on Monday morning.

"We do not know the circumstances. It is pretty devastating news," he told The Associated Press, adding that Strummer had been working on a third album with The Mescaleros.

Police said his death was not believed to be suspicious and a post-mortem examination will take place on Tuesday.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police told the Press Association: "We believe police did attend as the death at the farmhouse in Broomfield near Bridgwater was sudden."

'The only band that matters'
Strummer had a rather privileged background at odds with the DIY ethos of punk. He was born John Graham Mellor in Ankara, Turkey, on August 21, 1952, the son of British Foreign Office clerk, and attended London boarding schools. It was there he became exposed to a variety of musical styles, and soon began performing on street corners. He also formed a pub-rock band, the 101'ers.

In 1976, Strummer saw the pioneer British punkers the Sex Pistols in concert. He abruptly dropped pub rock and formed The Clash with Mick Jones, a working-class rocker from Brixton in south London; Jones' friend Paul Simonon, who replaced Tony James as bassist; and Terry "Tory Crimes" Chimes as drummer, who took over for Topper Headon. (Headon later rejoined the group after it recorded its first album, "The Clash.")

The Clash during the height of its fame.

The Clash quickly became one of the top attractions in Britain, the Web site allmusic.com notes. The band opened for the Pistols during the summer of '76 and landed a record deal with CBS. Its first single, "White Riot," became a hit in early 1977, and the band embarked on a tour with the Jam and the Buzzcocks. An appearance at London's Rainbow Theatre led to a minor riot.

The Clash's outlaw image occasionally led to controversy. CBS' American parent, Columbia Records, refused to release "The Clash" in the United States; the album became an import best-seller. Each band member got into minor scrapes with the law.

But The Clash was never that easy to pigeonhole. It wore its political beliefs on its sleeve, but tempered its hard-driving punk with reggae, rockabilly and -- above all -- wit. In December 1979, the band finally broke through to the American market with "London Calling," which Rolling Stone magazine ranked the top album of the '80s. The double-LP contains some of the band's best work, including the title song, a blistering cover of "Brand New Cadillac," "Lost in the Supermarket," "Spanish Bombs," and the song that became its first American hit single, "Train in Vain."

It was around this time the band picked up its nickname -- "The Only Band that Matters." It may have been a record company marketing tool, but few were willing to argue the point.

Going solo
"London Calling" was followed by the three-LP set "Sandinista!", which cemented the band's following in America. In 1982, the group released "Combat Rock," which contained a Top 10 single, "Rock the Casbah," and another hit, "Should I Stay or Should I Go," a rousing rewrite of "Little Latin Lupe Lu."

The thing about Strummer was he walked it like he talked it.
-- Billy Bragg

But just as the band was reaching its commercial zenith, internal pressures forced it apart. Strummer and Simonon fired Jones, who went on to form Big Audio Dynamite. The Clash put out one more record, "Cut the Crap," before splitting for good in 1986.

After the group's breakup, Strummer alternated between music and movies, appearing in Alex Cox's "Straight to Hell" (1987), a film more highly thought of for its cast -- including a young Courtney Love, the Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and Elvis Costello -- than its internal logic. He also appeared in Jim Jarmusch's "Mystery Train" (1989) and wrote music for 2001's "Black Hawk Down."

The Clash are scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 10, along with AC/DC, the Police, Elvis Costello and the Attractions and the Righteous Brothers.

Contemporaries were caught off guard by Strummer's death.

"The thing about Strummer was he walked it like he talked it," Billy Bragg told the AP. "He didn't cop out. He didn't show one face to the public and have a different face in himself."

"The Clash was the greatest rock band. They wrote the rule book for U2," U2 frontman Bono, who was working on a Nelson Mandela tribute song with Strummer and Eurhythmics' Dave Stewart, told the British Press Association. "Though I was always too much of a fan to get to know him well, we were due to meet in January to finish our Mandela song with Dave Stewart. It's such a shock."

[Champ967]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Dirtydawg]

Dang it Dwayne. The pain had just subsided until I read this. I guess I can give up hope for the Clash reunion.