THE RAMONES’ JOHNNY RAMONE has died following a battle with cancer aged 55.

The guitarist passed away yesterday (September 15) at his home in LA, California. He had been battling cancer for a number of years.

A statement on the band’s website reads: “We are immensely saddened by this terrible loss. Johnny contributed in many ways to the success and greatness of the Ramones. But it was his strength and guidance, which made everybody else’s work come to an effective completion, that made him the group’s centre of gravity, providing the balance and stability that kept the band, its support crew, and the entire Ramones organization together and in rocking shape.

”Johnny’s strength came from his character, rich in decency and honesty. His sense of fairness and his strategies always pointed towards the benefit of the Ramones and their fans as an inseparable unit.

”In this moment of tragedy and darkness, let us find solace, and a cure to our pain, in the knowledge that Johnny accomplished to the limit his life’s aspirations, and in the process he made ours seem possible.”<br>
News of Johnny’s fight against cancer emerged earlier this year, when it was revealed he was in hospital.

The band's singer Joey Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone have both already died. Joey succumbed to cancer in 2001, while the bassist died from a drug overdose the following year.