Tom Verlaine, guitarist and vocalist of punk rock band Television, dies at 73 - CNN
“In him, I felt the energy of a father - a man to hug, to laugh with, to share in mischievous jokes and wild imagination,” Smith said.
His Television bandmate, Jimmy Rip, called Verlaine “blindingly smart, incredibly well-read as well as surreally silly.”She posted a picture of herself with Verlaine as well another of a vase of flowers with the caption, “This is morning thinking about Tom.Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Billy Idol similarly honored the guitarist and songwriter on social media.“He made incredible music that greatly influenced the US & UK punk rock scene in the ’70’s,” wrote Idol.Television emerged from New York’s 70s punk scene and was a mainstay at the legendary CBGB club, alongside the likes of Talking Heads and Blondie.