Clem Burke, Drummer of Blondie, Dead at 70
Clem Burke, the longtime drummer for Blondie, died on Sunday, April 6, the band announced. He was 70.
Burke died following a short battle with cancer, something he’d been dealing with privately, according to the band’s statement on his passing. No other member of Blondie, aside from founding members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, had been involved with the band as long as Burke had. Along with Harry and Stein, Burke had appeared on every album the band released, from 1976’s Blondie to 2017’s Pollinator.
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Up until his death, Burke and Harry were to only members from Blondie’s “classic era” still touring with the band, as Stein’s own health issue have left him sidelined since 2019.
“[Burke] was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie,” the band said in their statement. “His talent, energy and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable. Beyond his musicianship, [Burke] was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Burke’s career behind the kit started in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a founding member of Bayonne, New Jersey’s popular cover bands; Total Environment and Sweet Willie Jam Band. Harry and Stein recruited Burke to be Blondie’s second drummer in 1975, and become a vital part of the band’s rise to prominence. He helped recruit other members, like bassist Gary Valentine, after managing to keep the band together following bassist Fred Smith’s departure.
After Blondie split in 1982, Burke would go on to collaborate with several artists. He became the regular drummer for the Romantics, as well as played drums for Dramarama, Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, the Fleshtones, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop and Pete Townshend. He also performed with the Ramones as “Elvis Ramone,” briefly in the 1980s and again in 2004. In 1983 he joined former Blondie bandmates Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante in a band called Chequered Past, a minor “supergroup.”
In 1997 he would reunite with several of his former bandmates as a reformed Blondie, for which he was a member until his death. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Blondie.
