NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Walter Lure, a guitarist best known for his tenure with the pioneering New York punk band The Heartbreakers, died in Queens on August 21st. He was 71.
Lure’s passing was confirmed by his current band Walter Lure and the Waldos confirmed his passing. His partner, Andy Le told the New York Times that the cause of death was liver cancer.
Lure was one of the early members of The Heartbreakers (not to be confused with Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) a group formed in the wake of the New York Dolls by Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, and Richard Hell.
Shortly after formation, Lure joined the band shortly after formation after auditioning for role as rhythm guitarist and performed his first gig with the at famed New York nightclub CBGB on July 4, 1975.
The Heartbreakers, with their raw garage punk sound, made a mark on the New York underground music scene and quickly became popular act in the city.
They only managed to record one studio album, 1977’s “L.A.M.F.” which they recorded in London, but it landed with a thud due to poor production quality.
Shortly after, the group parted ways amid creative differences and substance abuse problems.
After the split, they reformed several times to perform and the live shows, releasing several live albums and culminating in a reunion tour of Europe in 1984.
Apart from the Heartbreakers, Lure pursued a successful (and decidedly non-punk) career as a stock broker but continued to perform both with his own band Lure and the Waldos and with other groups, including The Ramones, who recorded a pair of albums with Lure on rhythm guitar.
In early 2020, he published a memoir, To Hell And Back: My Life In Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, In The Words Of The Last Man Standing.
