Dave Alexander

David Michael Alexander (June 3, 1947 – February 10, 1975).

Career: rock musician. Cause of death: pancreatitis, compounded by alcohol abuse.

"What happened to Zeke?
He's dead on Jones, man.
How about Dave?
O.D'd on alcohol."
- Iggy Pop (& David Bowie).  'Dum Dum Boys', The Idiot (1977).

So begins Iggy Pop's paean to his lost stooges, namechecking Alexander amongst the fallen.

Dave Alexander was the bassist in the Stooges, credited as the primary composer of the music for the Stooges songs "We Will Fall", "Little Doll", "Dirt" and "1970". Fired from the band in 1970 after turning up for a big gig too drunk to play, he died of pulmonary edema in 1975 after being admitted to a hospital for pancreatitis aggravated by heavy drinking.

Alexander, second from right.

He has since been eulogised by Dave Watt of the Minutemen, whose guitarist D Boon is also a 27 Club member.