LEGENDARY punk guitarist Tom Verlaine has died at the age of 73.
Verlaine was the lead vocalist, lyricist and guitarist of the punk rock band Television.
Tom Verlaine is a stage name - it is meant to reference French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine.
Television was a fixture of the local New York rock scene.
The band never received nationwide notoriety, but his deep lyrics made them a favorite among rock aficionados.
R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74
The band recorded two albums before breaking up.
He also released eight solo albums from 1979 to 1992.
Verlaine's confluence of poetic lyrics and musicality made him a star in the rock community.
Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Verlaine's ex, Patti Smith, announced the musician's death.
She said the guitar played died "after a brief illness."
Patti Smith — a musician and poet — reportedly had a romantic relationship with Verlaine in the past.
The romance began after the two met in the New York punk rock scene.
The two collaborated on multiple projects throughout their career.
On his 69th birthday, Smith wrote Verlaine a tribute on Instagram: "There is none like Tom, synthesizing Coltranesque improvisation, surf music and Sufi like mysticism, to form his unique style, highlighted by masterful use of the tremolo bar on his Fender Jazz. Master."
