The glam rock legend had been battling cancer since 2018.
New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain has died. The legendary glam rocker lost his battle to cancer Wednesday after a three-year fight. He was 69.
Sylvain revealed the diagnosis back in April 2019.
“First the bad news,” he stated. “For about a year now, I have been battling cancer. Then the good news: I have an upcoming surgery with a great doctor that may do the trick. There will, however, be a somewhat long recovery period (at least a year). I have not been able to work since last year and have more surgery scheduled. I love life! As hard as life has been to me these past two years I want to live and I know with your love and support I’ll have the best chance that I could ever have.”
Sylvain died on the same day that New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan did – January 14 – back in 1992.
Born Sylvain Mizrahi in 1951 in Cairo, Egypt, he joined the New York Dolls in 1972. Sylvain wrote songs and played guitar, bass, and piano on the band’s first two albums – 1973’s New York Dolls and 1974’s Too Much Too Soon.
Sylvain reunited with the band in 2004 and was a part of their final three studio outings – One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, Cuase I Sez So and finally 2011’s Dancing Backward in High Heels. In addition to his well-known work with the New York Dolls, Sylvain released two solo albums during his career.
In 2012, Sylvain Sylvain released the single “Leaving New York,” which would be his last musical outing.