David Johansen, New York Dolls Frontman and Buster Poindexter Alter Ego, Dies at 75

David Johansen, the last surviving member of the influential glam and protopunk band the New York Dolls, who later gained fame as his flamboyant alter ego Buster Poindexter, has died at the age of 75.

Johansen passed away on Friday at his New York City home, according to Rolling Stone, citing a family spokesperson. He had been battling stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor, which was disclosed in early 2025.

The New York Dolls were trailblazers of the punk rock movement, with their teased hair, makeup, and androgynous attire influencing the glam rock aesthetic later popularized by bands like Mötley Crüe and Faster Pussycat. Despite their groundbreaking style, the band never achieved commercial success and disbanded after two albums, plagued by internal conflicts and drug addictions.

In 2004, former Smiths frontman Morrissey, a longtime admirer, persuaded Johansen and the surviving Dolls to reunite for England’s Meltdown Festival, leading to the release of three more studio albums.

Johansen found renewed fame in the 1980s as Buster Poindexter, a lounge-singer persona known for the hit single Hot, Hot, Hot. He also appeared in films like Scrooged, Married to the Mob, and Let It Ride. His eclectic career was chronicled in Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s 2023 documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only, blending footage from a 2020 performance at Café Carlyle with reflections on his life and career.

Born on Staten Island, Johansen grew up in a large, working-class Catholic family. As a young man, he filled notebooks with poetry and lyrics, drawing inspiration from R&B, Cuban music, and artists like Otis Redding and Janis Joplin.

The New York Dolls—comprising Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, and Jerry Nolan—emerged from the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early 1970s. Their self-titled debut album (1973) and follow-up Too Much Too Soon (1974) failed to chart but earned the band a cult following. Rolling Stone later ranked their debut album among the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Johansen’s performances embraced inclusivity, creating a space where fans could defy societal labels. “I just wanted to be very welcoming,” he reflected in the documentary. “I just kind of wanted to bring those walls down, have a party kind of thing.”

Though never inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Dolls’ legacy endures, with their influence cited by bands like the Ramones and the Replacements.

Johansen is survived by his wife, Mara Hennessey, and stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey.

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