Arthur 'Killer' Kane, bassist with the legendary New York Dolls, died last night, less than a month after the band's critically acclaimed reunion gig at Morrissey's Meltdown Festival in London.
Kane's spokesman confirmed last night that the musician was admitted to an LA hospital yesterday suffering from suspected pneumonia and later died from advanced leukaemia. His family have already confirmed that there will be a public memorial service for Kane, a committed Mormon, behind the Mormon Temple on the city's Santa Monica Boulevard on Saturday.
Kane's sad death comes just weeks after the bassist reformed with fellow surviving New York Dolls David Johansen and Syl Sylvain after being invited to perform in London by one of the band's biggest fans, Morrissey. After the success of that gig, and a number of support sets at Morrissey's US shows, the band have been booked to play in Japan, at New York's Garage Festival and at the Reading/Leeds Festivals. It is not yet clear if Johansen and Sylvain will now proceed with those shows.
Photographer Bob Gruen, a close friend of the band's, told reporters last night that, because of the recent New York Dolls reunion, Arthur died "with a smile on his face".