After privately fighting a battle with cancer, Blondie drummer Clem Burke has passed away at age 70. He was the drummer for the iconic New York band's entire existence through multiple reunions, and even sat in with Ramones briefly in 1987 as Elvis Ramone.

Burke's rhythmic versatility and stylistic fearlessness cannot be overstated. On early tunes like "Rip Her to Shreds", Blondie began as punk mainstays of famed New York club CBGB's along with Television and Talking Heads before rising quickly and helping usher in the entire era of New Wave itself. By 1978, their third album Parallel Lines was both a runaway hit and an instant classic that made striking frontwoman Debbie Harry a household name just before the MTV era.

Burke was instrumental in propelling the band's most well-known tunes, whether it was the pulsating disco of "Heart of Glass", a rare number-one Hot 100 smash for anyone in the punk orbit, or the sneering drive of "One Way or Another". Listen to Burke's militaristic stomp on the megahit "Call Me" and you'll hear the beginnings of Green Day's "Holiday" among others.

Always on the lookout for new sounds, Blondie brought names like Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash into the public consciousness on "Rapture" before rock fans knew what hip hop was, with Harry rapping in the style she paid tribute to, and Burke right behind her on a beat fit for Sugarhill Gang. Flash himself sampled the song on "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel", an essential track that folded Blondie back into the history of rap, turntable scratching, and dance music itself.

They remain a rare rock band respected by fans of punk, pop, new wave, disco, and hip-hop alike. You have to have a rock-solid drummer to do all that. Along with the rest of the group, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Burke continued to make tight and nervy reunion records with Blondie as recently as 2017's Pollinator.