R.I.P.: De-Luxed.

You don't pay attention for a half a freakin' second and look what happens . . .

Over the weekend, Lux Interior, frontman for psychobilly pioneers and ANTSS-fave the Cramps, died. He was 62. The cause being given is pre-existing heart condition.

Interior and his wife, Poison Ivy Rorschach, founded the Cramps in 1973, but the band didn't really take off until the couple moved to NYC and joined up with guitarist Bryan Gregory and drummer Miriam Linna.

Through endless line-up changes, chaotic shows, a nasty lawsuit aimed at their label (IRS), and a brief appearance on Beverley Hills 90210, Lux, Poison, and Co. managed to crank out records from 1979 to 2004, leaving behind an impressive catalog of tunes.

Premature rumors of his demise – allegedly by heroin overdose – circulated in 1987. Bereaved fans mistakenly flooded Interior and Ivy's home with wreaths and other signs of condolence. The odd mix up gave the singer an opportunity to muse on what his death may or may not means to fans: "At first, I thought it was kind of funny, but then it started to give me a creepy feeling. We sell a lot of records, but somehow just hearing that you've sold so many records doesn't hit you quite as much as when a lot of people call you up and are obviously really broken-up because you've died."

One of the Cramps most infamous shows was a 1978 gig in, of all places, Sacramento's Napa State Mental Hospital. Here's some video:



Adios, you magnificently odd man.