Interior—whose real name was Erick Lee Purkhiser—died Wednesday of a pre-existing heart condition at a hospital in Glendale, Calif., according to a statement from the band's publicist Aleix (ALEX) Martinez. He was 60.

Interior met his future wife Kristy Wallace—who would later take the stage name Poison Ivy—in Sacramento in 1972.

The pair moved to New York and started the Cramps with Interior on lead vocals and Ivy on guitar. The group became an essential part of the late 70s early punk scene centered at the Manhattan clubs CBGB and Max's Kansas City.

Their unmistakable sound was a lo-fi synthesis of rockabilly and surf guitar staged with a deviant dose of midnight-movie camp.

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