Just heard that Charlotte Lesher, Joey Ramone's mom, passed away today. She was probably the coolest rock star mom ever. When the Ramones started, they practiced in the basement of her art studio in Queens. After they became big, she was always one of their most vocal and visible supporters. There's a great appearance of her and Joey on Phil Donahue's show in the mid 80s, where she talks about how proud she is to be the mother of a Ramone. After Joey died in 2001, she became a tireless fundraiser for lymphoma research, organizing a hugely successful benefit concert every single year since, and always appearing on stage to talk about Joey.
RIP, Mama Ramone.
