Johnny Ramone: I'm Not Dying

Fri., Jun. 18, 2004 9:30 AM PDT by Lia Haberman

Hey ho, Johnny Ramone's not ready to go.

Following reports that the legendary punk guitarist lay dying of cancer in a Los Angeles-area hospital, the Ramones rocker and his wife, Linda, released a statement saying he'll be just fine, thank you.

The 55-year-old has been hospitalized with an infection related to prostate cancer, his rep said Thursday.

"He is receiving the medication he needs and will be leaving the hospital next week to continue his recovery," per spokesman Paul Bloch.

Ramone (aka John Cummings) is being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer four years ago and has undergone extensive chemotherapy treatment to battle the disease--with varied results according to some.

The current negative prognosis stems from an interview bandmate Marky Ramone gave Rolling Stone magazine.

"He went through many chemotherapy treatments," Marky told the mag. "Some of it worked better than others. At this point [the cancer] has started to go into other areas of the body."

"Johnny's been a champ in confronting this, but at this point I think the chances are slim," he concluded.

While not exactly a clean bill of health, Johnny's statement does scuttle the deathbed watch and is a rare bit of good news for the hard-luck band.

Two of the band's other founding members, frontman Joey Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone, died in recent years. Joey (born Jeff Hyman) lost his fight with lymphatic cancer in April 2001, while Dee Dee (aka Douglas Colvin) succumbed to a heroin overdose in June 2002.

The band formed in Queens in 1974 and revolutionized rock 'n' roll with such hard-charging two-minute, three-chord anthems as "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Rockaway Beach" and "Teenage Lobotomy."

The group officially disbanded in 1996 following the release of their 14th and final studio album, Adios Amigos, and a farewell tour.

In 2002, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Johnny, Marky, Dee Dee and drummer turned producer Tommy Ramone reuniting onstage and paying tribute to Joey.