Hilly Kristal RIP

Thats a black space...no logo or picture. Hilly will be missed. Special thanks to Randy & Trakmarx.com for letting me know first:

Hilly Kristal, the famed founder of CBGB, died Tuesday at age 75 of
compilations from lung cancer. A singer/songwriter himself, Kristal
ran the club for 33 years, kick-starting the careers of Blondie, the
Talking Heads, Television, and the Ramones—to name a few. CBGB closed
in 2006, after long legal battles in an attempt to save thousands of
dollars in back rent with an historical landmark status. However
unsuccessful, the club saw shows from Bad Brains and the Dictators
before they finally shut its doors. Since then, Kristal had been
running merchandise sales in New York and worldwide, as well as
planning to open new clubs in several locations. He is survived by
his daughter and son, and will always be remembered for his
contribution to punk rock.

"He was a complete version of old-school," says Scott Goodstein, who
worked with Hilly on the "Save CBGBs" campaign. "There seem to have
been a lot of back and forth in the final years of CBGBs and it is
unfortunate what has happened with both gentrification and high
rents. Hilly was a guy that didn't want to give up, he wanted to be
that hub for all types of music. For 30 some years, that's what he
did. It was an honor to actually know him."

A private memorial service is planned, with a public one to be held
at a later date. Contributions in his name may be made to the
American Cancer Society or to the Hilly Kristal Foundation For
Musicians And Artists at 168 Second Avenue, PMB 207, New York, NY
10003.

www.cbgb.com

Story by: Rachael Darmanin

Here's a story from todays Newsday.