Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSylvain Sylvain, cofounder and rhythm guitarist of legendary early 1970s proto-punk quintet the New York Dolls, has died after a battle with cancer, according to a social media post by his wife and multiple media reports.
He was 69.While often lambasted in their era — either as Rolling Stones knock-offs or for their shocking-at-the-time androgynous look — the Dolls were one of the key influences on punk rock, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Their vast influence can be heard in the Ramones, who followed them by just a couple of years, as well as the Sex Pistols and the entire punk movement.
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