Reports are streaming in from multiple sources that claim Linda Stein, former manager of The Ramones, has been found dead in her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York. The city's medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, as Stein was found with multiple contusions to the head and neck. Police are claiming no visible signs of forced entry or break-in, and some of her closest friends are baffled.
Elton John reported to The New York Times that he is "absolutely shocked and upset," while friend (and co-manager) Danny Fields said, "I don't have a lot of friends in their 60s who are hit on the head in their chic apartments. It makes no sense."
Stein is credited with bringing The Ramones to the UK for their breakthrough show, which paved the way for other seminal punk bands such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Following her stint with punk artists, she garnered fame as the "Realtor to the Stars," working as a real estate broker for Madonna, Sting, Billy Joel, Angelina Jolie, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Willis, and Michael Douglas. She was 62.