Cheetah Chrome, Dead Boys guitarist and punk pioneer, dies at 71

Cheetah Chrome, born Eugene Richard O'Connor in 1955, has died.

The guitarist co-founded the Cleveland punk band Dead Boys in 1975, writing songs like “Sonic Reducer” and “Ain’t It Fun.” The band describes him as “an architect of punk rock” and “a one-man hurricane” with “wild guitar riffs and manic energy.”

The Dead Boys' first performance had been arranged by Joey Ramone and was held at the legendary New York club CBGB, where the Dead Boys became part of the emerging punk scene.

The band split up in 1979 but reunited several times.

Cheetah Chrome was 71 years old. A cause of death has not been confirmed.