Blondie band members list explored as drummer Clem Burke passes away at 70 

Rock band Blondie’s drummer Clem Burke died on April 6, 2025, aged 70. As a key member of the band for over two decades, Burke left an indelible mark on their sound and legacy. The current lineup features Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Leigh Foxx, Matt Katz-Bohen, and Tommy Kessler.

The group confirmed the news in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing that Clem was bravely battling cancer, which led to his death. The group’s statement appreciated Burke’s attraction for music, saying that it was not a match for anyone else. In addition, the post reads:

“His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Singer Nancy Sinatra also expressed her grief on Facebook, recalling her collaboration with Burke on her band K.A.B. She even described him as a close friend and said that his memories would stay alive in everyone’s hearts.

Burke appeared for an interview with Tidal Magazine around three years ago, revealing that Autoamerican was his favorite album in the list of projects released by Blondie. Clem said that Autoamerican was “innovative and original” and shared a few more details by stating:

“When the album was delivered to the record company, they didn’t know what to make of it. They said there were no hits. And of course, “The Tide Is High” and “Rapture” are on that record. Performance-wise, I always go back to “X Offender”, just ‘cause it wasn’t the sound of Blondie live, especially at the time – we were pretty rough as a live band.”

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Blondie band members: Journey in the music industry and more

According to Recording Arts Canada, the group was established back in 1974 by musicians Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. Although the band’s lineup continued to change over the years, the members managed to become popular faces among the general public.

Blondie always preferred to include the elements of New York City music into their work, and Debbie opted to have the freedom of wearing anything that she liked while performing. She addressed the same in her memoir Face It by saying:

“I was playing up with the idea of being a very feminine woman while fronting a male rock band in a highly macho game. I was saying things in the songs that female singers really didn’t say back then.”

The band also traveled to various spots, such as clubs, to get help with researching different kinds of music. The group began taking different positions on the Billboard chart from their second major project, Plastic Letters.

While Debbie and Chris continued being the oldest members of the band, they were joined by Fred Smith on bass in 1974. Two more musicians joined the group the same year: Billy O’Connor and Ivan Kral. More people continued coming to the band, such as Gary Valentine, Jimmy Destri, Clement Burke (Clem), Frank Infante, and Nigel Harrison.

Others who played with the group over the years include Paul Carbonara, Kevin Patrick, and Jimi K Bones. Two more musicians, Andee Blacksugar and Glen Matlock, are performing with the group on tours.

Although Blondie had eleven albums in the credits, two of them, Parallel Lines and Autoamerican, managed to grab a spot among the top ten titles in the US Billboard 200.

The group’s self-titled debut album was released through record label Private Stock in 1976. They became famous for other projects like The Hunter, No Exit, Panic of Girls, Pollinator, The Curse of Blondie, Eat to the Beat, and Blondie 4(0) Ever.