R.I.P.: David Johansen, Glam Rock Singer With New York Dolls

David Johansen (1950-2025)

David Johansen, the pioneering singer-songwriter who spearheaded glam rock and punk as the lead of the New York Dolls, passed away yesterday at his Staten Island residence. He was 75.

The NYTimes reports his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey, confirmed his death.

Last month, Johansen disclosed his battle with Stage 4 cancer, a brain tumor, and a fractured back. He launched a fundraising effort via the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to help cover medical expenses, noting, “Asking for help isn’t my nature, but this is a critical situation.”

Johansen’s versatility spanned genres like blues and calypso, with his peak commercial success coming in the late 1980s and early ’90s as Buster Poindexter, his flamboyant, pompadour-sporting lounge persona. However, his most enduring influence stemmed from the 1970s with the New York Dolls—a group of lipstick-clad rebels obsessed with gritty riffs and fierce women—shaping punk, heavy metal, and alternative music.

Among those influenced was Morrissey of the Smiths, who, at 13 in Manchester, England, caught a 1973 BBC broadcast of the Dolls performing “Jet Boy.” That chaotic display struck him as his “first real emotional experience,” as recounted in Nina Antonia’s 1998 book, “The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon.” Morrissey later led the band’s U.K. fan club.

The Dolls were infamous for pushing boundaries, particularly with their cross-dressing flair. “The Dolls share a Max Factor lipstick before hitting the stage, like other bands might share a joint,” Ed McCormack observed in a 1972 Rolling Stone piece.

“We wore some wild stuff,” Johansen reflected in the 1987 intro to Buster Poindexter’s “Hot Hot Hot” video. “Those L.A. metal bands don’t own the idea of raiding their moms’ wardrobes.”

Born David Roger Johansen on January 9, 1950, on Staten Island, he was the third of six siblings. His mother, Helen (Cullen) Johansen, worked as a librarian, while his father, Gunvold Johansen, sold life insurance after a past life as a Norwegian opera singer.

In 1964, Johansen was ousted from St. Peter’s Boys School. “They figured out I wasn’t their guy,” he told Will Hermes for the 2011 book, “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever.” He graduated from Port Richmond High School in 1967.

Post-graduation, Johansen immersed himself in New York’s avant-garde underworld, orbiting Andy Warhol’s Factory, Max’s Kansas City, and Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theater Company.