Stiv Bators

After heading up the Dead Boys -- Cleveland's answer to the New York Dolls -- Stiv Bators moved away from the sonic aggression of his first band to the gentler sounds of the Power Pop he had grown up with, yielding the album Disconnected. Shortly thereafter, Bators formed Lords of the New Church (which also featured Bryan James of the Damned), a band possessing both Punk and Goth leanings in its Hard Rock blend, and which was probably best known for their tongue-in-cheek version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin." After participating in a number of projects -- including a short-lived stint with the reformed Dead Boys -- Bators retired to France. In 1990, after being struck by a car on the streets of Paris (an accident he reportedly walked away from, unaware of the extent of his injuries, having endured and subjected himself to so much pain already), Bators died in his home at the all-too-young age of 33.