Gord Lewis, Guitarist and Co-Founder of Canada’s Teenage Head, Found Dead of Apparent Homicide

Gord Lewis, guitarist and founder of Canadian punk band Teenage Head, was found dead over the weekend in his Hamilton, Ontario apartment. According to The Spectator, Lewis’ death is being treated as a homicide.

Police did not name the victim pending an autopsy but announced 41-year-old Jonathan Lewis has been arrested and charged with second degree murder. Jonathan, according to The Spectator and multiple posts by Gord’s friends online, is his son.

Teenage Head, which formed in 1975 when the band members were in high school, was known for the Canadian classics “Let’s Shake” and “Some Kinda Fun” and was  recently the subject of a 2020 documentary, “Picture My Face: The Story of Teenage Head.”

Courtesy Warner Music Canada

The emotional film, directed by Douglas Arrowsmith, covers the band’s 40-plus-year history, including the 1980 riot at Ontario Place, the death of original frontman Frankie Venom, and Lewis’ debilitating depression and comeback. Marky Ramone who released an album with Teenage Head in 2008 also reflects on the band’s influence and legacy.

During a brief press briefing today (Aug. 8), Sara Beck of the homicide unit noted that the death is the city’s third of the year. Hamilton is a city about 40 miles west of Toronto with a population of 776,000.

“On Sunday August 7, police received information, a number of emails had been sent to a variety of media outlets with information related to a deceased person,” she said.

“Based on the information, police attended a residence at 175 Catherine Street South and located a deceased male in his 60s in the apartment. The male had injuries consistent with foul play, and the case was deemed a homicide.

“At this time, a positive identification has not been made of the deceased due to the level of decomposition…an autopsy will be performed and additional steps taken to identify the deceased.”

Det. Sgt. Beck said police are not seeking additional suspects.

According to the Spectator, on Saturday a reporter there received emails from two accounts in Jonathan Lewis’ name stating that his father was dead. A staff member called 911 requesting a wellness check, which led the police’s discovering of Gord’s body.

Tributes have been pouring in online by friends and fans shocked by the news. Nick Sinopoli called him “a gentle soul of a man”; Brad Germain wrote, “Tributes are pouring in for a reason. I’ve never heard a person say a bad word about you”; said Dan Walsh: “We’ve all learned a Teenage Head song or a Gordie Lewis lick at one point in our lives. I was 16 when I learned mine…You spawned a generation of 3 chord rockers.”