Television’s Frontman Tom Verlaine Passes Away at Age of 73
Tom Verlaine, guitarist and lead singer of the rock band Television, passed away at 73. After a brief illness, the musician passed away surrounded by friends in New York City. Follow our website Viralstimes to find out about the latest news!
Verlaine, Richard Hell, and Richard Lloyd co-founded Television in New York City’s punk music underground in the late 1970s. The rock band released multiple albums and chart-topping singles over their existence.
Tom’s passing was reported by Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of his longtime lover and colleague Patti Smith. She uploaded a vintage snapshot of the singer to Instagram and captioned it, “Dearest Tom. The affection is vast and unending. My heart is too passionately full to communicate anything at this time, and finding the right words is too difficult.” Also Read – New York’s tour bus-cargo truck crash killed six persons
“The feeling inside is so heavy, but your spirit is light and lifted; it is everywhere and completely free. It has been a privilege and gift to spend time with you on earth. I shall be grateful till the end of my life, and we will see you again after that, wherever you have traveled. She said, “I appreciate your leadership.”
Born Thomas Miller, the musician adopted the name ‘Verlaine’ after being influenced by French author Paul Verlaine. He co-founded the band Television with his high school classmate and punk legend Richard Hell in 1973. 1977 marked the release of the band’s debut album, Marquee Moon, which is now regarded as one of the finest punk albums ever. Also Read – Kevin Cunningham Cause of Death: Australia’s Paralympic Games Participant Dies at Age 83
The following year, they released their second album, Adventure, which was similarly well-regarded by critics. In July of that year, however, the band disbanded. Verlaine subsequently released a dozen solo albums and collaborated with various performers. In 2006, he released his final album, Around.
On social media, tributes to the performer are currently abounding. “Rest in peace, Tom Verlaine of the band Television, who could make a guitar sound like lightning striking itself, a virtuoso of restraint and the negative vacuum, a sparse and exquisite lyricist like his symbolist namesake.” Record producer Otto Von Biz Markie tweeted, “His stage name, band name, and attire exemplified punk cool.”
“A real original. Tom Verlaine was the only guitarist to play the guitar like he did. At Roskilde, he played with Patti Smith’s band while sitting cross-legged on the floor on his side of the stage. A horrible sad day. Tom, rest in peace,” a fan commented. Also Read – Randy Gonzalez, TikTok celebrity, died at 35
“Rest in peace, Tom Verlaine of Television, who could make a guitar sound like lightning striking itself, a virtuoso of restraint and the negative vacuum, a sparse and exquisite lyricist like his symbolist namesake.
