Pat DiNizio, the songwriter and lead singer for the durable New Jersey rock ’n’ roll band the Smithereens, whose melodic, guitar-heavy songs like “Blood and Roses” and “A Girl Like You” attracted a loyal following, died on Tuesday in Summit, N.J. He was 62.

His death was announced on the band’s website. A friend, William King, said Mr. DiNizio had been in physical therapy after several falls in September.

Mr. DiNizio, who also played rhythm guitar, formed the Smithereens in 1980 with three other young men from New Jersey: Jim Babjak on lead guitar, Dennis Diken on drums and Mike Mesaros on bass. (Mr. Mesaros was replaced by Severo Jornacion in 2006, though Mr. Mesaros still performed occasionally with the group, most recently this summer.)

They soon started performing original songs, most by Mr. DiNizio, at clubs like Kenny’s Castaways in Greenwich Village, but it was years before they received a record deal.