Jeffrey Ross Hyman was born May 19,1951 in Queens, New York. After forming the Ramones in 1974, he took the stage name Joey Ramone. They released their self-titled debut album in 1976, and despite critical acclaim, it was not successful commercially, selling only 6,000 copies in its first year. Today it's considered to be one of the best debut albums, and influential to many artists. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group.
Sadly, he died on April 15th, 2001 at the age of 49 after losing a long battle with lymphatic cancer..
His debut solo album, Don't Worry About Me, was released posthumously in 2002, less than a year after his death. On November 30, 2003, a block of East 2nd Street in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place.
