Clem Burke

Clement Anthony Burke (né Bozewski; November 24, 1954 – April 6, 2025) was an American musician best known as the drummer for the band Blondie. He joined the band shortly after its formation in 1975 and remained with Blondie throughout the band's entire career until his death in 2025. He appeared on all of the band's albums with two of the founding members, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. He was drummer for the Ramones for a brief time in 1987 under the name Elvis Ramone, and played on albums by other artists, including Eurythmics, Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop. He was a member of the Romantics from 1990 until 2004.[edit]

Debbie Harry called him the heartbeat of Blondie, recalling sweaty hugs after shows and describing a big bear of a man who had stood by her side for five decades. Tributes flooded social media platforms and dedicated fan pages as the music world mourned the loss of a drummer whose energy defined an era. The band announced that Clem Burke passed away on April 6, 2025, following a private battle with cancer. While the exact location of his passing remained undisclosed, official statements from family and band spokespersons confirmed the diagnosis. His final public appearance occurred at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 21, 2023, where he performed alongside his longtime collaborators.

The band handled end-of-life care and subsequent services with discretion, keeping the specific date and location of the funeral or burial out of the public eye. A one-year anniversary remembrance event took place on April 6, 2026, organized by the band and radio station KTLO to honor his legacy. Posthumous releases included his memoir, The Other Side of the Dream: My Life In And Out Of Blondie, which arrived in bookstores in April 2026. Additionally, Echo & The Bunnymen featured his contributions on their upcoming album Apples for Isaac, scheduled for release in September 2026.[edit]