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Blondie drummer Clem Burke, pioneering punk-pop percussionist, RIP

Ellsworth Toohey
Apr 07, 2025
∙ Paid

Clem Burke with Blondie in 2014 (Tricia Daniel / Shutterstock.com)

Blondie's longtime drummer Clem Burke, who powered the band's punk-pop sound for nearly 50, died April 7, 2025, at age 70 of cancer.

Burke's journey from Bayonne, New Jersey cover bands to new wave stardom began when Debbie Harry and Chris Stein recruited him for Blondie in 1975. His dynam…

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