SEPTEMBER 15, 2004 – Ramones guitarist JOHNNY RAMONE (b. October 8, 1948 in Long Island, New York as John William Cummings) died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 55 after a five-year battle with prostate cancer, less than a month before his 56th birthday. Many of his friends and musical contemporaries came to pay their respects.
An annual Johnny Ramone memorial is held every year in Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood, California. The Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute is presented by Linda Ramone and is held as a benefit for the Johnny Ramone cancer research fund which is led by Dr. David Agus at the USC Westside prostate cancer research center. The events have been attended by celebrities such as Vincent Gallo, Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla Presley, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett, Steve Jones, and Traci Lords. Additional celebrities who have taken part in the events include John Waters, Rose McGowan, Henry Rollins and Johnny Depp.
