The internet has been having a lot of fun lately with celebrity death mix-ups, but this one just seems lackadaisical — the Associated Press reported in a headline earlier that recently deceased Stooges drummer Scott Asheton actually played for the Strokes. Fox News LA then took the AP story and ran it on their site, as did US News and WFSB in Hartford.
Oops.
Hey, it happens. And those band names are veeeeery similar. Though garage rock purists must be having a fit.
Iggy Pop confirmed Asheton’s death Sunday night on Facebook. The drummer was 64.
“My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night,” Pop wrote. “Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Ashetons have always been and continue to be a second family to me. My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life.”
Hat tip to writer Annie Zaleski for the AP screen grab…
And good looks to Chris Hampson for setting Fox News LA straight. They tweeted back at him, blamed the AP, and made the correction. The other news outlets have also since updated their posts.
No @myfoxla – he was not "The Strokes" drummer. He was the drummer for The Stooges #facepalm #RIP pic.twitter.com/d1DUYPZbKI
— Chris Hampson (@chrishampson) March 17, 2014