New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain died of cancer Wednesday. The news was confirmed on his official Facebook page with a tribute written by Lenny Kaye. He was 69 years old.
In April 2019, Sylvain revealed that he had been battling cancer for the past year. He launched a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of covering the medical expenses related to his treatment.
Sylvain Sylvain was born in Cairo Sylvain Mizrahi. Sylvain’s family fled Egypt after facing anti-Semitism, ending up in New York after a brief residency in Paris. He joined the New York Dolls in 1972 after befriending the band’s original drummer, Billy Murcia, at his school in Queens. Sylvain contributed guitar, piano and vocals on the Dolls’ first two albums in 1973. New York dolls and in 1974 Too too soon.
Sylvain began a solo career after his tenure at the New York Dolls, releasing his self-titled debut album in 1979. He recorded numerous albums as a solo artist until the late 1990s. When the New York Dolls reunited, Sylvain appeared on their latest albums One day we will like to remember it (2006), Cause I Sez So (2009) i Dancing backwards with high heels (2011).