Considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Kramer’s death was announced Friday afternoon on his official social media channels.
Kramer died at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, according to Jason Heath, a close friend and executive director of Kramer's nonprofit Jail Guitar Doors. Heath said the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. Kramer co-founded the MC5 in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in the 1960s. The anti-establishment, counterculture band went on to be considered one of the most influential American rock and punk groups of the era.