Fans to celebrate Ramone birthday

Family, friends and fans of the late Joey Ramone will gather at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on May 19, what would have been Ramone’s 50th birthday, for the memorial celebration “Life’s a Gas: Joey Ramone’s Birthday Bash,” Rolling Stone magazine reports. The four-hour event promises live music, though performers have yet to be announced. Ramone’s mother, Charlotte Lesher, said the event “will be a celebration of his life and music.” Tickets, costing $15, will be available Monday through Ticketmaster. Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh, also will host “Remembering Joey: A Brother’s Tribute,” a free event Monday at New York City’s CBGS’s, a venue that hosted the band during their early days. Joey Ramone died April 15 after a long battle with lymphoma.