Joey Ramone, frontman of one of the first punk bands ever, died at 2:40 p.m. Sunday of lymphoma.

Joey Ramone was the voice of the Ramones, the band that paved the way for such punk legends as the Sex Pistols and the Clash. The Ramones" formula was simple: Four chords, four guys, same last name and no song over two minutes.

It was 1974 when four scraggly kids from Queens picked up instruments, changed their last names to Ramone and proceeded to energize a lackluster era in rock music. Just when power ballads were getting pushed off the charts by hypnotic disco tracks, the Ramones were playing to rebellious crowds that included Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, David Johansen and Iggy Pop. When they became the first punk band ever to sign a record contract, the Ramones were a surprise success.

Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Hyman, started off on the drums but quickly realized he wasn"t up to the job. Joey had written some songs which he would sing while keeping time on the skins. That, combined with the fact that his arms couldn"t keep up with the rest of the band, forced a switch. So their manager Tommy sat down to the drums, Dee Dee moved to bass, Johnny to guitar and Joey stepped up to the mic.

Joey, staring behind his trademark shades and black curtains of hair, belted out countless punk songs at a break-neck pace sometimes ballistic, sometimes bubble-gum including, "Let"s Dance," "Beat on the Brat," "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," and on and on throughout their 32-year career.

Joey Ramone was unmistakable onstage. Ripped jeans, leather jacket, one foot in front of the other and standing almost seven feet tall, he was the prototype, the uber-punk of the late "70s and beyond.

As a kid he was into glam rock or "glitter." Revering bands like Kiss, Sniper and the New York Dolls, he hitch-hiked to clubs in his custom-made black jumpsuit and knee-high pink platform boots. After he hooked up with Dee Dee, Tommy and Johnny, he dumped the glitter scene and was praised for his innovations. In the book Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, Dee Dee remembered, "All the other singers were copying David Johansen, who was copying Mick Jagger, and I couldn"t stand that anymore. But Joey was totally unique." The physics of Joey"s towering height also perplexed Dee Dee, "I kept asking myself, How"s he balancing himself."

Many musicians owe their current success to Joey and the boys, citing their innovation for the time and their disregard for what was "in" at the time. U2"s Bono was quoted on MTV yesterday as saying, "We would not be here if it weren"t for the Ramones." The simple approach to rock made room for bands such as The Clash, Devo, The Replacements, Green Day and the Offspring.

For those of you who have never been to a Ramones concert, you missed out on some truly rip-roaring fun. From falling asleep on my daddy"s shoulders at my first Ramones tour to bidding the band a tearful farewell at their Adios Amigos! tour in 1996, I have never experienced anything quite like a Ramones concert.

You walk in. You bob your head. You walk out. That"s when you realize, you just heard over 40 songs in less than an hour and a half. And there are no lovey-dovey songs to be found. No. Just sniffing glue. Hustling blow-jobs at 53rd & 3rd. Labotomies. Good old punk rockin". And each of these topics clock in at around a minute thirty.

Even though they were inexperienced as musicians and low on rock-star charisma, the Ramones became the unlikely founder of an entire youth movement called Punk Rock. When VH-1 looks back on the history of punk music, don"t let them forget Joey and the rest of the Ramones. Often overlooked, The Ramones were the conquistadors of punk the rest are just inhabitants of the kingdom.

And Joey, my dear, you always balanced yourself just fine enough for me.