Television frontman Tom Verlaine dead at 73

Television frontman Tom Verlaine has died at age 73, The New York Times reports.

Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Verlaine’s contemporary and onetime partner Patti Smith, tells the Times that Verlaine passed away following a “brief illness.”

In an Instagram post, Jesse Paris Smith writes, “I love you always and forever, and will always remember and hold close the touch of your hand — hands of a beautiful creator and of a love more warm, tender, delicate, and true that one can ever dream.”

Patti Smith also shared a poem in honor of Verlaine.

Verlaine co-founded Television in 1973, and the band became a staple at the famed CBGB New York City club. Television broke up in 1978 after two albums, but reunited in 1992 for a third and final album, which spawned the radio single “Call Mr. Lee.” The band continued to play live over the years, most recently in 2019.

A seminal band in the coming alternative scene, Television’s influence can be heard in bands including The Strokes and Interpol.