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Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead on Tuesday at his home in Ann Arbor, according to local police. He was 60.
Ann Arbor Detective Bill Stanford says police were called to Asheton's house early in the morning by Dara Hytinen, his personal assistant, who had not been able to reach him for several days.
Hytinen let officers into the house with her key and Asheton's body was found in his bedroom. Stanford said he "looked fairly peaceful" and that there was no sign of foul play or drug use. Asheton, who had likely been dead since New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, had high blood pressure but no other major medical problems.
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Asheton's body was taken to the University of Michigan medical center, where an autopsy will be conducted. Stanford said a cause of death likely won't be determined until toxicology reports are complete, which should take about a month.
Asheton and his brother, drummer Scott, formed the Stooges with Iggy Pop in Ann Arbor in 1967. Amid a music scene that also reared acts like Bob Seger and the MC5, the Stooges stood out for their reckless abandon, theatrics and pummeling style, a clear precursor for punk and alternative rock.
And while albums such as "Fun House" and "Raw Power" would later be viewed as some of the most influential of the era, the band never enjoyed commercial success at the time, eventually splitting up in 1974. Pop then embarked on a solo career.
"No one ever said, 'Hey, I quit,' " Ron Asheton said during a 2007 South by Southwest panel devoted to the Stooges' legacy. "It was just like, I need a break. It was a long break, but we needed a break." Seeing Pop play Stooges songs as a solo artist was no easy pill to swallow, but Asheton acknowledged, "It's show business and it's a wicked animal. You take the offers you get and see what happens."
Asheton also fondly discussed making whole-grain waffles for his bandmates when they lived at the Fun House in Ann Arbor. "We were foodies early on," Pop said. "I made ... salad every day," Asheton added.
After nearly three decades of inactivity, the Stooges reunited in 2003 to play the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., and toured frequently in recent years.
The group also returned to the studio in 2006 to record a new album, "The Weirdness," released the following year. The Stooges had just completed a European tour in December.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb...090106/ENT04/901060414
Ann Arbor Detective Bill Stanford says police were called to Asheton's house early in the morning by Dara Hytinen, his personal assistant, who had not been able to reach him for several days.
Hytinen let officers into the house with her key and Asheton's body was found in his bedroom. Stanford said he "looked fairly peaceful" and that there was no sign of foul play or drug use. Asheton, who had likely been dead since New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, had high blood pressure but no other major medical problems.
Advertisement
Quantcast
Asheton's body was taken to the University of Michigan medical center, where an autopsy will be conducted. Stanford said a cause of death likely won't be determined until toxicology reports are complete, which should take about a month.
Asheton and his brother, drummer Scott, formed the Stooges with Iggy Pop in Ann Arbor in 1967. Amid a music scene that also reared acts like Bob Seger and the MC5, the Stooges stood out for their reckless abandon, theatrics and pummeling style, a clear precursor for punk and alternative rock.
And while albums such as "Fun House" and "Raw Power" would later be viewed as some of the most influential of the era, the band never enjoyed commercial success at the time, eventually splitting up in 1974. Pop then embarked on a solo career.
"No one ever said, 'Hey, I quit,' " Ron Asheton said during a 2007 South by Southwest panel devoted to the Stooges' legacy. "It was just like, I need a break. It was a long break, but we needed a break." Seeing Pop play Stooges songs as a solo artist was no easy pill to swallow, but Asheton acknowledged, "It's show business and it's a wicked animal. You take the offers you get and see what happens."
Asheton also fondly discussed making whole-grain waffles for his bandmates when they lived at the Fun House in Ann Arbor. "We were foodies early on," Pop said. "I made ... salad every day," Asheton added.
After nearly three decades of inactivity, the Stooges reunited in 2003 to play the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., and toured frequently in recent years.
The group also returned to the studio in 2006 to record a new album, "The Weirdness," released the following year. The Stooges had just completed a European tour in December.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb...090106/ENT04/901060414
