Stooges guitarist Asheton dies

2009-01-07 12:00

Kevin Krolicki

Detroit - Ron Asheton, a guitarist and founding member of the influential rock band The Stooges, was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Tuesday, police said.

Asheton, 60, was found on his couch and appeared to have been dead for several days, Ann Arbor Police Sergeant Brad Hill said.

"We do not expect foul play," Hill said.

Police were called to Asheton's home shortly after midnight after an acquaintance reported that he had been unable to contact him for several days.

Asheton's brother, Scott, is the drummer for The Stooges. The pair were founding members of the band formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor along with frontman Iggy Pop.

Primitive style

Known for a violent and primitive style that featured stage-diving and outrageous antics by Pop, The Stooges were part of a late 1960s Detroit-area rock scene that also included the MC5.

The Stooges broke up in 1974 after three albums, limited commercial success and mounting drug problems for Pop.

But backed by Asheton's guitar riffs on songs such as I Wanna Be Your Dog and TV Eye, the band's music has been credited as a powerful influence on a wide range of punk and alternative bands including The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The White Stripes.

After The Stooges broke up, Asheton acted in a series of low-budget horror movies in the 1980s and 1990s.

Asheton, ranked as the 29th greatest rock guitarist by Rolling Stone, rejoined The Stooges when the band reunited in 2003 and for the 2007 comeback album, The Weirdness.

The band has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

- Reuters