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Artist News Obituaries
Scott Asheton 1949-2014
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 18 March 2014
Drummer and founder member of The Stooges Scott Asheton died at the weekend from an undisclosed illness. He was 64.
Born in Washington, DC, Asheton moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family when he was fourteen. There he formed The Stooges with his guitarist brother Ron, bassist Dave Alexander and vocalist James Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop. The band recorded three albums before splitting in 1974, the third, ‘Raw Power’, going on to become incredibly influential, with the group later dubbed by many as the first punk band.
Nicknamed Rock Action by his bandmates, Asheton rejoined the group when they reformed in 2003, and he and Pop are the only two members to appear on all five of their albums – Ron Asheton having died in 2009, and Dave Alexander dying in 1975, five years after being fired from the band.
Despite this, Asheton had ceased to perform live with the band in recent years, after suffering a stroke on a flight to England in 2011. His last performance with the group was at the Austin City Limits festival in 2012.
Scott Asheton is survived by his wife Kathy, daughter Leanna, and sister Liz.
