Flamin' Groovies frontman Roy Loney — who first led the famed '60s rock unit — has died. The band broke the news this weekend, revealing Loney passed away on Friday (December 13).
Loney died of severe organ failure at San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center, his girlfriend Vivian Altmann told the San Francisco Chronicle. He was 73.
"We are all deeply saddened and stunned to learn that our dearest friend and bandmate, Roy Loney, passed away this morning," the band wrote on Facebook.
Altmann added, "Roy was born on a Friday the 13th and he died on a Friday the 13th. That is a very rockin' thing to do."
Loney founded the Flamin' Groovies in the Bay Area in 1965, with the group first going under the name the Chosen Few. The Flamin' Groovies did not have any chart success, but they had a huge impact on the worlds of power pop and punk via tracks such as "Love Have Mercy" and "Teenage Head," as well as their renditions of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie 'Flu" and "The Girl Can't Help It."
Their "Headin' for the Texas Border," co-written by Loney, would go on to later be covered by Jack White's the Raconteurs.
Following a string of albums with the Flamin' Groovies, Loney left the group in 1971 following tensions with guitarist Cyril Jordan, who then went on to lead the band.
After leaving Flamin' Groovies, Loney worked in various music industry jobs, including as a sales rep for ABC Records. He also began a solo career in 1978, as well as launched the band the Phantom Movers, which also featured other previous Groovies members.
Loney's most recent release was 2009's Got Me a Hot One! with Señor No. He also rejoined Flamin' Groovies onstage after the band's 2017 album Fantastic Plastic, leading Loney to schedule various shows with the group this year. However, due to an injury, he never went on the tour.
Loney died of severe organ failure at San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center, his girlfriend Vivian Altmann told the San Francisco Chronicle. He was 73.
"We are all deeply saddened and stunned to learn that our dearest friend and bandmate, Roy Loney, passed away this morning," the band wrote on Facebook.
Altmann added, "Roy was born on a Friday the 13th and he died on a Friday the 13th. That is a very rockin' thing to do."
Loney founded the Flamin' Groovies in the Bay Area in 1965, with the group first going under the name the Chosen Few. The Flamin' Groovies did not have any chart success, but they had a huge impact on the worlds of power pop and punk via tracks such as "Love Have Mercy" and "Teenage Head," as well as their renditions of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie 'Flu" and "The Girl Can't Help It."
Their "Headin' for the Texas Border," co-written by Loney, would go on to later be covered by Jack White's the Raconteurs.
Following a string of albums with the Flamin' Groovies, Loney left the group in 1971 following tensions with guitarist Cyril Jordan, who then went on to lead the band.
After leaving Flamin' Groovies, Loney worked in various music industry jobs, including as a sales rep for ABC Records. He also began a solo career in 1978, as well as launched the band the Phantom Movers, which also featured other previous Groovies members.
Loney's most recent release was 2009's Got Me a Hot One! with Señor No. He also rejoined Flamin' Groovies onstage after the band's 2017 album Fantastic Plastic, leading Loney to schedule various shows with the group this year. However, due to an injury, he never went on the tour.
