Sylvain Sylvain, Jewish guitarist for the New York Dolls whose family fled antisemitism in Egypt, dies aged 69

Sylvain Sylvain, the musician hailed as the “lynchpin” of the rock band, New York Dolls, has died at the age of 69 following a two-year battle with an unspecified form of cancer.

The guitarist was born Sylvain Mizrahi to a Syrian Jewish family in Cairo in 1951. His family emigrated during the Suez Crisis, which is believed to have triggered a renewed wave of antisemitism across the country, from which the family was fleeing. The family eventually settled in Queens, New York following a brief stay in France.

He joined the New York Dolls in 1972 after befriending the band’s original drummer, Billy Murcia, at his high school. The guitarist pursued a solo career and recorded numerous albums up until the late 1990s.

Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith’s longtime Jewish guitarist, issued a social media post on Sylvain Sylvain’s personal Facebook page to announce his death and celebrate his accolades.

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