David Johansen
American singer (1950–2025)
David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He was also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter and for playing the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged (1988).
Early life
Johansen was born in the New York City borough of Staten Island, to a librarian mother, Helen (Cullen), and an insurance sales representative father, Gunvold Johansen, who had previously sung opera. His mother was Irish American and his father was Norwegian American. He was one of five siblings. Johansen attended St. Peter's Boys High School, but was expelled in 1964. He finished his high school education at Port Richmond High School. After graduating, Johansen became involved with the scene at Andy Warhol's Factory. He also worked with Charles Ludlam at Ludlam's Ridiculous Theater Company, where Johansen did sound and lights.
The public source identifies “David Johansen” as american singer (1950–2025). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around David, Johansen and American.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q370155. VIAF identifies the subject as 29718318. The Library of Congress control number is n93026499. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1950, 2025, 1988 and 1964.
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This entry incorporates text from “David Johansen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.