Walter Lure obit

Johnny Thunders And The Heartbreakers guitarist Walter Lure has died

The 71-year-old died due to complications related to cancer 

He was not on the list.

Walter Lure, guitarist for pioneering New York punk band Johnny Thunders And The Heartbreakers, has died aged 71.

His death was confirmed by Los Angeles club Starwood, who said Lure died on Saturday (August 22) due to complications related to cancer.

“Walter Lure (April 22, 1949 – August 22, 2020) our dear friend has passed away,” the venue said in a statement. “Walter was diagnosed with liver and lung cancer in July 2020, which spread rapidly and he died from complications related to the cancer at the age of 71, peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by family.”

They added: “He was much loved by all and respected for all he contributed to the world of music. He will be dearly missed. To his family, friends and fans our deepest condolences. May he RIP.”

Walter Lure (April 22, 1949 – August 22, 2020) our dear friend has passed away. Walter was diagnosed with liver and…

Posted by Bettystar Wood on Saturday, August 22, 2020

Formed in 1975 by former New York Dolls band members Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, Johnny Thunders And The Heartbreakers spearheaded the first wave of punk rock. As one of the band’s original members, Lure played on their one and only studio album, 1977’s ‘L.A.M.F.’. He left soon after it was released.

He reunited with the Heartbreakers a number of times before leader Johnny Thunders’ death in 1991 and their drummer Jerry Nolan’s death in 1992. (Bassist Billy Rath also died in 2014.)

After leaving the band, Lure became a stock broker but continued to play music. He worked with the Ramones on their LPs ‘Subterranean Jungle’ and ‘Too Tough To Die’, released a single with the Blessed, and started a number of bands, including the Hurricanes, The Heroes, and The Waldos, who released their debut, ‘Rent Party’, in 1995.

Earlier this year, Lure put out his memoir To Hell And Back: My Life In Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, In The Words Of The Last Man Standing.

Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. He graduated from Fordham University with a degree in chemistry, and was working at the Food and Drug Administration in New York while playing in a variety of local groups. He initially met Johnny Thunders in the early 1970s while attending concerts at the Fillmore East, and later became a fan of Thunders' group the New York Dolls. When the Dolls broke up in early 1975, Lure was playing in a glam rock band called the Demons, and successfully auditioned to join Thunders' new band The Heartbreakers. Lure's first gig with the Heartbreakers was at CBGB on July 4, 1975. As he wrote in his autobiography, "My last gig with the Demons was back at CBGB on the Friday of July 4 weekend, performing in front of about twenty people at two in the morning. My first gig with the Heartbreakers was the following evening in front of several hundred screaming maniacs, with a line around the block as well. It was a madhouse."