Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton dies

Ron Asheton, 1948-2009

Ron Asheton, guitarist and onetime bassist with The Stooges, has been found dead at his home today (6 January). He was 60.

The cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but initial reports suggest that Asheton died of a heart attack.

Along with Iggy Pop and his brother Scott, Ron Asheton was a founding member of The Stooges.

Asheton switched to bass for the 1973 album Raw Power as a result of the increasing prominence of James Williamson. The band's reformation in 2003 saw Asheton return to six-string duties.

Here's Asheton rocking out live with The Stooges in Serbia back in 2004:

Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.