Scott Asheton, drummer for legendary punk-rock band the Stooges, died Saturday evening (March 15) at age 64. No cause of death has yet been announced.
Asheton’s death was confirmed by Stooges frontman Iggy Pop on Sunday via a statement on his Facebook page.
“My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night,” Pop said. “Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Asheton’s have always been and continue to be a second family to me.
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“My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life.”
Above: The Stooges in 1970 (L-R Dave Alexander, Iggy Pop in front, Scott Asheton in back and Ron Asheton)
Asheton co-founded the Stooges in 1967 along with Pop, bassist Dave Alexander, and his brother, guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in 2009. The band released three raw, genre-defining albums — 1969’s ‘The Stooges,’ 1970’s ‘Fun House’ and 1973’s ‘Raw Power’ — before splitting in 1974. The band eventually reformed in 2003.
Asheton remained the Stooges’ drummer until 2011, when a stroke caused his temporary retirement from live duty. Asheton, along with the rest of the band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.