Owner of iconic New York rock club CBGB dies

HILLY KRISTAL, whose rock club CBGB served as the birthplace of the punk rock movement and a launching pad for bands like the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads, has died after a battle with lung cancer, his son said yesterday. He was 75.

Kristal, who lost a bitter fight last year to stop the club’s eviction from its New York home of 33 years, died yesterday at Cabrini Hospital, said his son, Mark Dana Kristal.

As the club headed toward its final show with Patti Smith in October, Kristal was using a cane to get around and showing the effects of his cancer treatment.