Garage-rock pioneer and Lyres frontman Jeff Conolly has died. He was 69. One of Boston’s great rock ‘n’ roll eccentrics, Conolly was well-known for his work with bands like Lyres and DMZ. According to Brooklyn Vegan, he’d reportedly been getting treatment for bladder cancer.Conolly, who was known as “Monoman,” joined DMZ in 1976, as the band was just getting off the ground. Heavily influenced by 60s rock, the band released several albums, including one collection of songs produced by Craig Leon, who’d previously worked with the Ramones. Jeff Conolly was known to Lyres fans and friends as the “Monoman”After a few years, the band fizzled out. Connelly and some of the other members then went on to form Lyres in the late 70s. Based out of Boston, Lyres quickly found a fanbase with their evolved version of punky garage rock. Over the years, the releeased numerous albums, EPs, and compilations. Jeff Conolly had kept the band together, even through his cancer fight, but the future of the band is uncertain at this point.Tributes to Jeff Conolly have started rolling in, following his deathIn the wake of his death, many tributes and memorials to the Lyres frontman have begun to appear. Musician Deke Dickerson took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message about Jeff Conolly. “Monoman was one of the all-time great rock ‘n’ roll frontmen,” he penned. “Throughout his career, he made some of my favorite music of all time, and he never failed to deliver the goods. He was a loud, boisterous, genuine, and unique rock ‘n’ roll maniac, and when they made him, they broke the mold.”He added, “I was listening to some of that stuff this morning in the car, with the volume turned up real loud, and it punched me in the gut the same way it did when I first heard it as a kid, almost 40 years ago. And even though the guy was one of the most unpleasant people I’ve ever met in my entire life, I got a little teary-eyed, knowing that I would never hear him play live again. Finally, Dickerson lovingly quipped, “I loved his music, and I know if he were still here, he’d find a way to ridicule me for it.”Photo courtesy of Getty ImagesThe post Garage-Rock Pioneer and One of Boston’s Great Rock Eccentrics Dies at 69 appeared first on VICE.