Johnny Ramone

John William Cummings, known professionally as Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist, songwriter, actor and author, best known for being the guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones. He was a founding member of the band, and--along with vocalist Joey Ramone--remained a constant member throughout his entire career.

In 2009, he appeared on Time's list of "The 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players". He ranked No. 8 on Spin's 2012 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and No. 28 on Rolling Stone's similarly-titled 2015 list.

Alongside his music career, Johnny appeared in nearly a dozen films (including Rock 'n' Roll High School) and documentaries. He also made television appearances in such shows as The Simpsons (1F01 "Rosebud", 1993) and Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Episode 5 "Bobcat").

His autobiography, entitled Commando, was released posthumously in 2012. The book was reviewed by numerous well-known publications including Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, the Houston Chronicle, the National Post, PopMatters, and MTV, which called the book a must-have for any Ramones fan. In the book Johnny talks passionately about his love of baseball and of collecting baseball cards and movie posters, particularly horror-related posters. He was a devoted and lifelong fan of the New York Yankees.

On September 15, 2004, Johnny Ramone died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 55, 23 days before his 56th birthday, following a five-year battle with prostate cancer. Many of his friends and musical contemporaries came to pay their respects. His wife Linda kept his ashes.