Culture 3 min read By Mason Emerson
Cheetah Chrome, Dead Boys Co-Founder and Guitarist, Dies at 71
Eugene Richard O'Connor, the punk guitarist known as Cheetah Chrome who co-founded the Dead Boys, has died at 71, his bandmates confirmed on Instagram.
Eugene Richard O'Connor, the punk guitarist who performed under the name Cheetah Chrome and co-founded the Cleveland band the Dead Boys, has died at 71. His bandmates announced the news in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday, September 13.
«We are incredibly sad to announce the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Cheetah Chrome,» the band wrote in the post. «Cheetah was a true original.» The message did not include a cause of death.
Chrome was a central figure in the first wave of American punk, a movement that took shape in the mid-1970s in cities such as New York, Cleveland and Los Angeles. The Dead Boys emerged from Cleveland's underground scene and became one of the era's most volatile live acts, known for a raw, high-speed sound that helped define the punk aesthetic.
The band's 1977 debut album, «Young, Loud and Snotty,» remains a touchstone of the genre, and its track «Sonic Reducer» became an enduring anthem. Chrome's guitar work — sharp, aggressive and unpolished — was a defining element of that record and of the group's live performances.
The Dead Boys were part of a broader cultural moment that reshaped rock music in the late 1970s. Alongside peers in New York and London, they rejected the polished production and arena-rock conventions of the day in favor of speed, confrontation and a do-it-yourself ethos. That approach influenced generations of punk, hardcore and alternative musicians who followed.
Chrome's death was confirmed by his bandmates, who described him as a singular presence. The announcement drew immediate reaction from fans and fellow musicians who credited him with helping to shape the sound of American punk.
Beyond the Dead Boys, Chrome remained active in music for decades, collaborating with other artists and maintaining a following among punk devotees. His stage name became as recognizable as the band he helped found, and his guitar style was often cited as a template for later punk players.
The Dead Boys' legacy has endured through reissues, reunion shows and continued interest in the Cleveland punk scene. The band's music is regularly included in histories of the genre, and «Sonic Reducer» remains a staple of punk playlists and documentaries.
Chrome was 71. No further details about memorial plans or survivors were included in the band's statement.
