Asheton formed the group in Michigan in 1967

The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Asheton, 60, was an original member of the rock band fronted by Iggy Pop in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

His riffing featured on hits including I Wanna Be Your Dog, No Fun and Down On The Street.

Police sergeant Brad Hill said there were no signs of foul play, and the musician's death appeared to be from natural causes.

He said officers discovered Asheton after being called to his home on Tuesday by an associate who had been unable to reach him for several days.

The band - which also included Asheton's brother Scott on drums and the late Dave Alexander on bass - are on the shortlist to enter the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this April.

Split and reform

Formed in 1967, The Stooges were not well-received by critics or fans in their early days but their records, especially 1973's Raw Power, were a key influence on punk.

A tour in support of that album was overshadowed by Pop's heroin addiction, and the group disbanded in February 1974.

Pop went on to score solo hits such as Lust for Life, Real Wild Child and The Passenger.

Asheton, meanwhile, acted in a series of low-budget horror films in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was also ranked as the 29th greatest rock guitarist by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.

By this time Asheton, his brother Scott and bassist Mike Watt had started playing as The New Stooges. The Stooges officially reformed, along with Iggy Pop, in 2003.

Their first album in three decades, The Weirdness, was released in 2007.

They played Glastonbury the same summer, and last year headlined the Get Loaded event on Clapham Common, south London.





