The drummer from the new wave/punk band Blondie has died.
Clem Burke was 70 years old.
The band announced his death on Monday; he died from cancer on Sunday, but the specific type was not shared.
Blondie said in a statement posted on Facebook, “Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie. His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.”
Burke became a drummer when he was only 14 years old, playing for his school orchestra. But he didn’t last long, being kicked out for playing too loud.
In the 1970s, he answered an ad looking for a “freak energy” rock drummer. It would be fate, as that was the first time he teamed up with Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry and the rest of the iconic band.
They recorded their first album in 1976 and then hit the road the next year with performers such as Iggy Pop and David Bowie.
Blondie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
They sold more than 42 million records that included such hits as “Heart of Glass,” “Call Me” and “The Tide is High.”
When forgotten reel-to-reel, cassettes and records were discovered and were turned into “Blondie: Against the Odds, 1974-1982,” Burke said, “We never would have thought that we would still be here today. Looking back at our archives, it’s pretty amazing.”
The Hall of Fame called Burke, “a versatile and distinctive drummer who played exactly what each song required – and, when called for, let loose with blistering punk rock energy.”
(1/2) In Memoriam: Clem Burke of 2006 Inductees Blondie was a versatile and distinctive drummer who played exactly what each song required – and, when called for, let loose with blistering punk rock energy. His range allowed the band to seamlessly move from the disco-infused pic.twitter.com/Th5BdYcEG4
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) April 7, 2025
Burke was born Clement Anthony Bozewski in Bayonne, New Jersey. He was the son of a professional drummer, with his father teaching him how to play.
He spent his entire career with Blondie, appearing on all of the band’s albums. and was what Deadline called the “grounding force” for the group. When Blondie was disbanded through the late 1990s, Burke played with such entertainers as the Romantics, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan and the Eurythmics, among many others.
He rejoined Blondie in 1997 and played with the band until his death.
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