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The American singer Tom Verlaine, best known for being the frontman of the New York City rock band Television, passed away at the age of 73.
The news of his death was confirmed by singer Patti Smith's daughter, Jesse Paris Smith, on January 28, who stated that Verlaine died after a "brief illness."
“He died peacefully in New York City, surrounded by close friends. His vision and his imagination will be missed.”
Born on December 13, 1949, Verlaine was a native of Denville, New Jersey. He developed an interest in studying piano at an early age but eventually switched to the saxophone after listening to a recording by Stan Getz.
He developed a liking for guitar during his adolescent years after he heard the 19th Nervous Breakdown by the Rolling Stones. Verlaine was born as Thomas Miller but adopted his stage name from French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine.
Tom Verlaine formed Neon Boys with Richard Hell
Tom Verlaine moved to New York City and, in 1972, formed a band called Neon Boys alongside his school friend Richard Hell, with whom he shared an interest in poetry and music. Neon Boys had Verlaine on vocals and guitar, Hell on bass, and Billy Ficca playing drums.
In 1973, they changed their band's name to Television and hired Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist. After giving their first official performance in 1974, the group released Little Johnny Jewel, their first single, with Fred Smith taking on the role of Hell.
Verlaine wrote most of the songs during his time with the band and frequently collaborated with musician Smith, whom he dated in their initial days of the New York punk scene.
Television released two highly acclaimed albums during their active years: Marquee Moon and Adventure, with the former being hailed as one of the pivotal records of the punk era.
In July 1978, Television disbanded. However, Verlaine launched a solo career for a while and resided in England.
A year later, in 1979, Verlaine released a solo self-titled album that featured the song Kingdom Come. The deceased artist remained productive as a solo artist over the next two decades, fluidly transitioning from post-punk experiments to wholly instrumental EPs and silent film soundtracks to work with Smith and other old denizens from the now-defunct CBGBs club.
Television reunited in 1992 and released a third album together, performing live on and off frequently.
Twitter reactions on Tom Verlaine's death
After news of Tom Verlaine's death went viral, Twitter shared condolences for the deceased. Several Twitter users and renowned musicians remembered the deceased and honored his contribution to the punk music scene.
As of writing, no official cause of Tom Verlaine's death has been revealed.
