February 3, 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of “the day the music died” when the plane carrying Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens crashed. The February 4, 2009 death of Lux Interior probably won’t make the same big headlines, but for a generation of punk, rock and rockabilly fans the impact is just as great because one of the genre’s best-loved noisemakers has been silenced.

For more than 30 years the Cramps, led by Lux and his wife, guitarist Poison Ivy, shaped the Technicolor punk sounds that are sometimes tagged psychobilly or horror rock because of the group’s affinity for b-movie references and retro-trash. Interior’s wild style was as much Elvis as Iggy Pop, Eddie Cochran and Eddie Munster.

The Cramps were among the early bands tear up the stage at CBGBs in New York in the ‘70s (and an infamous gig at a Napa State Hospital, a mental institution, here), paving the way for a future generation of bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the White Stripes to peddle their ramshackle garage rock sounds.

Reports indicate that 62-year-old Interior (born Erick Lee Purkhiser) passed away due to a heart condition. In 1987 false reports spread that the singer had died of a heroin overdose. Unfortunately, the news is certain this time, although the cause of death appears to be natural.

Mainstream success was largely unknown to this wild bunch, although songs like “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns” did find some success on MTV. If you’re not familiar with this legendary band’s music, then please go check out some of their songs and videos now. If you’re a rock’n’roll fan, you’ll be glad you did. More Lux Interior obit info here and here, too.