TRIBUTES have been paid to Tommy Ramone, the last surviving original member of seminal US punk band The Ramones, who died on Friday.

Blondie, Guns N' Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have spoken fondly of the drummer and producer, as have Motorhead, Billy Bragg and Garbage.

Ramone, 65, died in Ridgewood, New York, while in hospice care suffering from cancer of the bile duct.