T. Rex ( B9 )

 He died in 1980 from asphyxiation caused by choking on a cocktail cherry, The following year Currie, who had played for Chris Spedding before moving to Portugal in 1979, died there in a car crash. Finn played as a session musician for The Soup Dragons and The Blow Monkeys before his death in 2003 of possible liver and kidney failure.

Influence and legacy

T. Rex vastly influenced several genres over several decades including glam rock, the punk movement, post-punk, indie pop, britpop and alternative rock. They were cited by acts such as New York Dolls, Def Leppard, the Ramones, Kate Bush, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, R.E.M., the Smiths, the Pixies and Tricky.

Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls said that when forming his band with Billy Murcia and Johnny Thunders: "[they]'d all sit on the bed with these cheap guitars and do Marc Bolan songs, as well as some blues and instrumentals". Sparks were inspired at their beginnings by Tyrannosaurus Rex, pre-T. Rex: seeing them live "was really our education" stated Ron Mael. The Stooges were inspired by T. Rex when composing and recording the songs of Raw Power. Guitarist and songwriter James Williamson related: "We were over in England at the time when Marc Bolan was red hot, and we were looking at his stuff and thinking ‘hey, we could be like that,’ and writing our stuff and just thinking it would take off." Joey Ramone of the Ramones said about Bolan: "I get into people who are unique and innovative and have colour. That's why I love Marc Bolan. There was something so mystical about him, his singing voice, his manner. His songs really move ya, they're so moving and dark."

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