David Johansen, New York Dolls Frontman, Dead at 75

David Johansen, frontman of the pioneering punk group New York Dolls and solo “Hot Hot Hot” hitmaker as his alter ego Buster Poindexter, has died. He was 75.

“David Johansen died at home in NYC on Friday afternoon holding hands with his wife, Mara Hennessey, and daughter Leah, surrounded my music, flowers and love,” his rep said in a statement shared with Billboard. “He … died of natural causes after nearly a decade of illness.”

The news of Johansen’s death comes after the punk pioneer announced in early February that he was battling stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor. The musician was diagnosed in 2020, and after a fall that broke his back in two places in November 2024, he decided to share his story.

“We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation,” Johansen, who also acted and has appeared in films such as Scrooged and TV shows including Oz. “This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you.”

The family also launched a Sweet Relief fund in his name to help raise money for his ongoing care at the time. “He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing,” his daughter Leah wrote on the fundraiser’s page.

David Johansen is survived by his wife, Mara, and daughter, Leah.